Sonni Ali (1464-1492) was the first great king of the Songhai Empire, and the 15th ruler of the Sonni dynasty. He was not a Muslim, but a believer in Africananimism. Under Sonni Ali, Songhai extended to cover a great chunk of the Niger River area and gained control of crucial trading areas such as Timbuktu, surpassing the height of the Mali Empire. Range of the Songhai Empire From the early 15th to the late 16th century, the Songhai Empire was one of the largest African empires in history. ... A Muslim (Arabic: ٠سÙÙ ) is an adherent of Islam. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ... Animism has been used in a number of ways since Edward Tylor used it (in 1871) as a label to define the essence of religion as the belief in spirits (i. ... Map of Niger river. ... Timbuktu or Timbuctu (Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu, French: Tombouctou) is a city populated by the Songhay, Tuareg, Fulani, and Moorish people in the West African country of Mali. ... The Mali Empire was an Islamic Empire of the Mandinka people in West Africa from the 14th to 17th centuries. ...
Sonni Ali was succeeded by Askia Mohammed. Askia Muhammad I was a king of the Songhai Empire in the late 1400s. ...
Sonni Ali, who reigned from about 1464 to 1492, was the first great king of the Songhai Empire, and the 15th ruler of the Sonni dynasty.
Under Sonni Ali, Songhai extended to cover a great chunk of the Niger River area and gained control of crucial trading areas such as Timbuktu and Jenne.
During Sonni Ali's reign, Songhai surpassed the height of the Mali Empire.