1. Abd-al-Mumin of the Almohades (ruled 1133-1163 AD) Moroccan Founder of the Almohad Empire that ruled in North Africa and Spain |
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![]() All of this information is extracted from the Book ‘When We Ruled’.
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2. Sarki Abdullah Burja of Kano (ruled 1438-1452 AD) Northern Nigerian monarch who created the first golden age in that region |
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![]() Meanwhile, serious diplomatic problems had emerged with the neighbouring state of Borno to the east (roughly modern Chad and Niger). The Kano Chronicle, the chief Hausa history, attempts to put a brave face on it but admits that after the conflict “many towns were given to Borno.” This indicates that Burja was defeated in whatever-it-was the authors of the Chronicle were trying to conceal. The city of Kano remained independent and surprisingly, direct trade was established with Borno despite the conflict. Moreover, the Sarki sent gifts to the ruler of Borno, acknowledging the Bono King’s supremacy as an Islamic leader. This started a tradition that continued late into the eighteenth century. Of the Hausa rulers, Abdullah Burja was the first to encourage the use of camels as beasts of burden. Previously, Kano businessmen and traders waited on camel caravans controlled by the Tuaregs to arrive from the north. Under Burja’s new policy, Kano merchants could transport their own goods across the desert. In the footsteps of these merchants followed the Hausa language and culture. Hausa became the biggest indigenous language spoken in Africa after Swahili. In reputation, Hausa merchants came to rival the legendary Wangaran merchants of Guinea, the economic powerhouse behind Mali. It is worth remembering that the BBC in the Millennium series described Mali as the richest empire in the fourteenth century world. In Kano Burja established the Kurmi Market. A veritable magnet, it attracted goods from all over the world. All of this information is extracted from the Book ‘When We Ruled’.
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