The Empire was ruled by two great rulers, Sundiata and Mansa Musa. The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) was a state that dominated the western Sahel/Sudan in the 15th and 16th century. In 1465 the Songhai Empire took control. But if this empire … The fall of the empire was caused by the lack of strong rulers who could govern well. 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. From 1235-1400, this was a strong empire of Western African. It included the great cities of Timbuktu, Djenne, and Gao on the Niger River, the salt mines of Taghaza, and the gold fields of Bumbuk and Bure. Mansas Gao, Mohammed ibn Gao and Abubakari II reigned in peace and prosperity over a well-guarded realm dotted with garrisons in Walata, Timbuktu, Gao, Koumbi-Saleh and many others. …eventually a Songhai king arose, Sonni ʿAlī (1464–92), who, appealing to traditional Songhai paganism against the Islamic universalism of the Mande system, destroyed the Mali empire by ceaseless military campaigning and erected in its place a new empire ruled from Gao. It ruled the area until 1075 and became an important trading state. The ancient kingdom of Mali spread across parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. It was also called upon by the King of Morocco, El Mamer, for example, for military assistance. The king also failed to stop the invasion of Berber conquerors, who ruled Timbuktu for some time. Sunni Ali was the founder of Songhai Empire. Read more about Timbuktu here. In the 11th century the Malinke Kingdom rose to power. The controversy between the chiefs, however, took its toll. Mansa Musa developed cities like Timbuktu and Gao into important cultural centers. Other important cities in the empire were Timbuktu and Djenné, conquered in 1468 and 1475 respectively, where urban-centered trade flourished. Thy upheld a strong gold-salt trade. Timbuktu, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a center of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). Subsequently, Sunni Ali in 1468 became the leader of Songhai, invaded Timbuktu, and conquered the Berbers. He also brought architects from the Middle East and across Africa to design new buildings for his cities. The Songhai had been ruled by the Mali Empire before the 1400s. The Songhai Empire came to power first, under Sunni Ali’s leadership. The leader of the Malian Empire, who controlled the Songhai, kept him as a political prisoner. Initially, the empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty (c. 1464–1493), but it was later replaced by the Askiya dynasty (1493–1591). With its trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao, it had many mosques and universities. In 1312, Mansa Musa I came to power and brought the empire even more fame and … In 1400, Gao revolted, and in 1431, Walata and Timbuktu were conquered by the Tuareg, and the empire gradually split up into small chiefdoms. His successors expanded the empire to envelope the trading towns of Timbuktu and Gao and northern regions such as Taghaza, containing the highly valuable salt deposits. Muslim ruler in Songhai; built vast empire by military conquest; ruled for 30 yrs beginning in 1464; captured Timbuktu in 1468. 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