Who were the people of the Songhai Empire?

The Songhai people (also Ayneha, Songhay or Sonrai) are an ethnic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and lingua franca is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century.

Is Tuareg indigenous?

Tuareg pastoralists are indigenous to three African countries: Algeria on the northern side of the Sahara, north-eastern Mali and central and northern Niger. Additionally, the Tuaregs are split into various tribes: the Kel-Air, Kel-Gress, Iwilli-Minden, and the Immouzourak.

Why are the Tuareg people also known as the blue people?

The Tuaregs have been called the “blue people” for the indigo dye coloured clothes they traditionally wear and which stains their skin. A semi-nomadic Muslim people, they are believed to be descendants of the Berber natives of North Africa.

Was Songhai in the Sahel?

The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) was a state that dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history.

What is Songhai famous for?

The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) was a state that dominated the western Sahel/Sudan in the 15th and 16th century. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its leading ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai.

What do the Tuareg call themselves?

The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” Today they are known for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the Sahara Desert.

What makes the Tuareg unique?

Even though they have retained the language and many of the customs of their Berber ancestors, the Tuareg have developed a unique culture of their own, a genuine synthesis of many traditions, including not only Berber and Arab, but also elements from indigenous peoples who reside in the Sahel.

Who are known as Blue Man of the desert?

Tuaregs are the famed “hommes bleus,” or “blue men,” desert nomads nicknamed after their dark-blue turbans. The color eventually rubs off onto their tan skin. In the 15th century, the Tuaregs attacked Timbuktu and have ruled it several times since then.

What religion is Songhai?

Islam
Songhai culture was a blend of traditional West African beliefs with the religion of Islam. Daily life was ruled by traditions and customs, but laws were based on Islam.

Who are the Tuareg people of North Africa?

The Tuareg (Twareg or Touareg; endonym Imuhagh) are group of largely matrilineal semi-nomadic, pastoralist people of Berber extraction residing in the Saharan interior of North-Western Africa. The Tuaregs who are mostly Sunni Muslims descended from the Berber (“Amazigh branch”) ancestors who lived in North Africa many years ago.

Which is the mother tongue of the Tuareg in Mali?

Figures from the 2009 censussuggest that about 3.5 percent of Malians speak Tamasheq, the language of the Tuareg, as their mother tongue; in the country’s three northern regions (Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal), Tamasheq speakers account for about 32 percent.

What was the name of the Songhai Empire?

western Africa: The early kingdoms and empires of the western Sudan. …over a non-Mande people, the Songhai, who monopolized the fishing and canoe transport of the middle Niger. The Songhai had an independent monarchical tradition of their own, and Mande control of their capital, Gao, proved somewhat fitful.

Where did the name Touareg come from in Africa?

According to some researchers – the word Touareg is taken from the word “Tareka”/”Targa” a valley in the region of Fezzan in Libya. So the name is of Berber origin and is taken from a place in Libya, not the name of the Muslim commander Tariq bin Ziyad, as some people claim.

Who were the people of the Songhai Empire? The Songhai people (also Ayneha, Songhay or Sonrai) are an ethnic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and lingua franca is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. Is Tuareg indigenous? Tuareg…