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| Tarihin Daular Songhai |
Daular Songhai ita ce mafi girma kuma ta ƙarshe daga cikin manyan daulolin gargajiya uku na Yammacin Afirka kafin zuwan Turawan mulkin mallaka, bayan Ghana da Mali.
Daga babban birninta na Gao, da ke bakin Kogin Neja (Niger), Daular Songhai ta faɗaɗa ƙasarta daga yankunan kusa da Tekun Atlantika (Senegal da Gambia ta yau) zuwa tsakiyar Nijar. Wannan ya sanya ta zama ɗaya daga cikin mafi faɗin dauloli a tarihin Afirka.
Gao da Manyan Birane
Gao ta kasance muhimmiyar cibiyar kasuwanci tun kafin kafa daular, saboda matsayinta a kan kogin Neja. Birnin ya shahara da:
- Masallacin Gao,
- Kabarin Askia (Askia Tomb), wanda ke ɗaya daga cikin fitattun gine-ginen Musulunci a Afirka.
Duk da haka, Timbuktu da Djenné su ne zuciyar ilimi, al’adu da kasuwanci na Daular Songhai. Timbuktu ta zama sananniya a duniya saboda:
- Jami’ar Sankore,
- dubban malamai,
- da manyan ɗakunan karatu na rubuce-rubucen Larabci da Ajami.
Asalin Daular Songhai
Mutanen Songhai sun kafa Gao kusan shekara ta 800 Miladiyya. A ƙarni na 11, a zamanin Sarki Dia Kossoi, Gao ta zama babban birnin Songhai, kuma sarkin ya karɓi Musulunci.
A lokacin da Daular Mali ta fara raunana, Songhai ta fara neman ‘yanci. A shekara ta 1375, Gao ta yi tawaye daga ikon Mali, abin da ya buɗe hanyar kafa cikakkiyar daular Songhai.
Fadada Daular: Zamanin Sonni Ali Ber
Sonni Ali Ber (1464–1492) shi ne babban sarki na farko kuma ginshiƙin karfin Daular Songhai. A karkashinsa:
- An ci Mema a 1465,
- An kwace Timbuktu a 1468,
- An karɓi Djenné a 1473 bayan dogon kewaye.
Sonni Ali ya gina daular soja mai ƙarfi, ya mallaki muhimman hanyoyin kasuwanci tsakanin Sahara da savannah, kodayake ana sukar sa saboda tsaurin ra’ayinsa kan wasu malamai.
Askia Muhammad Toure: Zamanin Zinariya
Bayan rasuwar Sonni Ali a 1492, ɗansa Sonni Baru ya hau mulki, amma a 1493 Askia Muhammad Toure ya kifar da shi.
Askia Muhammad:
- Ya kafa shari’ar Musulunci a duk faɗin daular,
- Ya inganta ilimi da koyarwa,
- Ya faɗaɗa Jami’ar Sankore da gina makarantu da dama.
Shi ne:
- Sarkin farko a Yammacin Afirka da ya aika jakadu zuwa kasashen Musulmi,
- Ya karfafa hulɗa da Masar, Larabawa, Maroko, da Musulman Andalus.
Ya yi Hajji zuwa Makka, inda aka ba shi girmamawa a matsayin sarki musulmi mai ƙarfi.
Zaman Lafiya da Wadata
Bayan wafatin Askia Muhammad a 1528, Daular Songhai ta ci gaba da samun zaman lafiya da wadata a ƙarƙashin wasu Askia.
Kasuwanci ya bunƙasa, musamman:
- Zinariya,
- gishiri,
- bayi,
- hatsi da kayan noma.
Duk da haka, yawancin jama’ar Songhai manoma ne, kuma arzikinsu ya fi dogaro da noma fiye da kasuwanci.
Faduwarta: Mamayar Maroko
A 1591, rikice-rikicen cikin gida sun bai wa Sarkin Maroko, Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur Saʿadi, damar kai hari.
A Yaƙin Tondibi, sojojin Songhai ƙarƙashin Askia Ishaq II sun fuskanci sojojin Maroko. Duk da yawansu, Songhai sun sha kashi saboda:
- bindigogi da alburusai (firearms) na Maroko,
- rashin hadin kai a cikin daular.
Bayan haka:
- An kashe Askia Ishaq II,
- Daular ta shiga rudani,
- Kawancen Maroko da wasu Tuareg ya ƙara lalata ikon Songhai.
Bayan Rushewar Daular
Maroko ta fahimci cewa:
- Mulkin Songhai ya fi wahala fiye da cin nasara a kanta,
- Matsalolin sufuri, tawaye, da sarrafa zinariya sun gaza.
A 1661, Maroko ta janye daga yankin.
Masu mulkin Songhai da suka tsira sun kafa sabon birni Lulami, inda Askias suka ci gaba da mulki daga 1591 zuwa kusan 1901, amma ba tare da ƙarfin daular farko ba.
A ƙarshe, a 1901, sojojin Faransa suka mamaye yankin, suka katse duk wata alaƙa da tsohuwar Daular Songhai.
Kammalawa
Daular Songhai ta kasance:
- babbar daular Afirka mai tsari,
- cibiyar ilimi da kasuwanci a duniya,
- hujja cewa Afirka ta gina wayewa mai zurfi kafin Turawa.
Tarihin Songhai na nuna cewa rushewar Afirka ba rashin wayewa ba ne, sai dai sakamakon siyasa, makamai, da mamaya.
