Songhai

Dictionary: Song·hai Song·hay (sông'hī', sŏng-gī')

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An ancient empire of western Africa in present-day Mali. It was founded c. 700 by Berbers and reached the height of its power around 1500.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Songhai

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Ethnolinguistic group chiefly inhabiting the area of the great bend in the Niger River in Mali, centred on the site of the old Songhai empire. Numbering some 1.5 million, the Songhai speak a Nilo-Saharan language. Songhai society traditionally was highly structured, comprising a nobility, free commoners, artisans, griots (bards and chroniclers), and (formerly) slaves. They cultivate cereals in the rainy season (June to November) and also engage in cattle raising and fishing. The Songhai have traditionally prospered from caravan trade. Many young Songhai leave home for the coast, especially Ghana.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Songhai

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Songhai or Songhay (both: sŏng'gī'), largest of the former empires in the western Sudan region of N Africa. The state was founded (c.700) by Berbers on the Middle Niger, in what is now central Mali. The rulers accepted Islam c.1000. Its power was much increased by Sonni Ali (1464-92), who occupied Timbuktu in 1468. Songhai reached its greatest extent under Askia Muhammad I (c.1493-1528). He was deposed by his son, and in the subsequent conflicts among his successors the empire slowly began to decline. The breakup of the state was accelerated by a Moroccan invasion in 1591.

WordNet: Songhai

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Songhai people in Mali and Niger

Wikipedia: Songhai

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Songhai (var. Songhay, Songrai) may refer to:

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	Mali (country of western Africa)
	Niger (country of west-central Africa)
	Nigeria (country of western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea)

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Songhai". Read more