Askia the Great - 9-th, 2004 - 10: 1   (Posted By: Webmaster)

Askia the Great
BUILDER OF THE EMPIRE OF TIMBUCTOO (d. 1538)

SONNI ALI WAS SUCCEEDED by his son, Abu Kebr, but one far worthier than he felt entitled to the throne. This was Mohammed ben Abu Bekr, the favorite general of Soxmi Ali. Claiming that the power was his by right of achievement, Mohammed attacked the new ruler a year later and defeated him at Anghoke in one of the bloodiest battles of history. Of the 150,000 men engaged on both sides, the majority were reported to have been killed or wounded. Mohammed seized the throne, calling himself "The Prince of Believers" and "Caliph of the Mussulmans." But when one of the daughters of Sonni Ali heard the news, she cried out, "Askia" (Usurper) at which Mohammed in irony took "Askia" as his name. Askia began by consolidating his vast empire and establishing harmony among the conflicting religious and political elements. For this task he was well fitted, as he had "a good heart, well-inspired, and was endowed with a generosity that God had placed naturally in him." This praise came from the holy men. Instead of suppressing these as Sonni Ali had done, he took them under his wing, which further inspired them to denounce Soxmi Ali as an infidel whose offspring was unfit for the throne. Nevertheless, Askia took adroit steps to keep the priests from meddling in the government. To create a still closer union within the empire, he took wives from the daughters of his vassal chiefs, marrying his daughters and relatives to his subject chiefs in turn. He followed the same procedure in the case of high dignitaries, governors, and judges, until most of the prominent families of the empire were in some way related to him. The empire he divided into four parts, placing a viceroy over each.

To increase commerce he created a regular army with a reserve unit, which left the rest of the population free to trade and carry on agriculture during the time of war. To police the empire, he formed an army of cavalry, which was equipped with lances, poisoned arrows, armor, and steel helmets. Some of these men came from as far north as the Barbary states. These cavalrymen were so many in number and rode so swiftly that it was said of them, "They flew off like a cloud of grasshoppers."
Along the mighty Niger River and its tributaries Askia had harbors constructed and canals dug. A merchant fleet and war fleet were built to facilitate commerce and protect it. He stationed the main body of his navy at Kabara, in the center of the Niger.
To his ports came ships from Portugal and the Mediterranean bringing goods in exchange for Songhay gold, copper, woods, and hides. Songhay ships traded with these lands in return, while. Songhay caravans went to Cairo, Algiers, Morocco, and Bagdad. To reassure foreign merchants, he ordered the standardization of weights and measures. Thieves were punished with utmost severity, and the empire was so well policed that brigands disappeared and caravans came and went with security.
The youths of the land were sent to the Moslem universities of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and savants regardless of color or religion were invited to reside at Timbuctoo, where they were handsomely subsidized and honored. Science and learning flourished and many scholars emerged whose names are given in the Tarik-es-Sudan. Askia's subjects, too, were enlightened. At a time when the people of England cowered at the spectacle of a comet, the Songhay, thanks to their astronomers, knew one for what it really was. Askia visited Caliph Motoweskel at Bagdad, spending several weeks conversing with him and the learned men in this center of culture and opulence; upon his return to Timbuctoo he kept up a correspondence with the caliph for years. Under the leadership of Askia, the Songhay Empire flourished until it became one of the richest of that period. Timbuctoo became the real center of the Mohammedan world, and was known as "The Queen of the Sudan," and "The Mecca of the Sudan."

With his empire firmly established, Askia resumed his attack on unbelievers, carrying the rule of Islam into new lands. He brought under his sway the kingdoms of the Yollofs and the Mossis as well as those of many minor kings and chiefs, till his realm extended beyond Lake Chad, and took six months to traverse from west to east. As for his wealth, if we accept the account of his pilgrimage to Mecca as accurate, it must have been among the greatest of his time. In his retinue on that occasion were 1500 princes and chiefs of the empire and a vast army of cavaliers and foot soldiers; he is reported to have given 300,000 pieces of gold to Mecca, Medina, and other holy cities; at Medina he had a marvelous garden laid out in his memory; and he spent 100,000 pieces of gold among the Mecca merchants; at Bagdad he dazzled the caliph with his wealth, giving him presents surpassing in value those of all other rulers.
Says the Tarik-es-Sudan:

God favored Mohammed Askia. He assured him great conquests and covered him with his brilliant protection. This ruler took all the country from Kounta to the Atlantic Ocean on the west and his authority stretched from the frontier of the country of the Bindokas as far as Teghazza. All the people he subdued by the sword and by force, as one reads in the recitals of his expeditions. God accomplished all that this monarch desired so that Mohammed Askia was docilely obeyed in all the states and in his own palace. Everywhere throughout his vast empire peace reigned in abundance.

Askia's subjects worshipped him as a god. In the audience chamber no one approached him until he had first sprinkled dust on his head. Askia never spoke directly to an assembly, a herald repeated his words. His retinue was preceded by tambours, trumpeters, and musicians. The trappings of his horse were the richest imaginable and the jewels on his person were worth an immense fortune. He invariably rode in the center of his processions, attendants holding the bridle and walking by his side.

Askia did not hesitate to put to death individuals or groups who threatened his power. Among those upon whom his wrath descended was a group of learned men, the Za-Bir-Benda, whom he enticed into the city of Sankore, the university center, and massacred. When his favorite brother, Omar-Konzagho, heard of it, he tearfully rebuked Askia for desiring the ruin of Sankore and the empire. Askia replied, "On the contrary, I wish its prosperity. All these people I have executed would have made life difficult for the Songhay. There was no other way to deal with them." But despite his power, wealth, and magnificence, a sword hung over Askia's head. He was losing his sight. In time his vision grew so dim that he appointed his brother Omar as his representative, pretending fear of the evil eye. Fortunately for him, he had always remained inaccessible to all except the most intimate members of his family and to visiting rulers, so his subjects did not know of his infirmity. Even later when he became quite blind this was concealed for years with the help of his faithful secretary, Ali Folem. But at last the truth leaked out and one of his sons, Faria Mousa, revolted and forced Askia to abdicate in his favor. This was on September 27, 1529, after a glorious reign of thirty-six and a half years. The usurper soon died and was succeeded by a brother, Benkan, who treated his father still more contemptibly, even taking possession of his palace and exiling him to an island in the Niger where he lived in a miserable hut. One day a loyal son, Ismail, came to see him. Askia, feeling the muscular arm of Ismail, asked him how it was possible that one so strong permitted his aged father to be "eaten by mosquitoes and leapt on by frogs." When Ismail replied that he had no money to make war, Askia directed him to a spot where he had hidden a large sum of gold. Telling him the names of those who could be counted on for support, Askia dictated a plan of battle. Ismail was victorious and Askia returned to the palace, where he died in 1538.

Timbuctoo survived in splendor for the next fifty-two years. Wealth had softened its people, however, and when Emperor Mansour of Morocco sent his troops across the Sahara, they were able to plunder it. Two centuries later another Moorish invasion brought about its almost total destruction. Today only vestiges of its former glory remain, such as the Mosque of Kankan Musa and the tomb of Askia.
Félix Dubois, who visited Timbuctoo, says:

Askia the Great made Timbuctoo one of the world's great centers of learning and commerce. The brilliance of the city was such that it still shines in the imagination after three centuries like a star, which, though dead, continues to send its light toward us. Such was its splendor that in spite of its many vicissitudes after the death of Askia, the vitality of Timbuctoo is not extinguished.

[Marcus Garvey]