Page 71 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

Empir E s of m E di E v al w E st africa

By 1520, the Songhay Askia Bani set out from Gao with his army to battle with Sadiq, and
Empire had extended so far stopped at midday to take a nap. The Askia was overweight and was wear-
northward that its control
ing a cloak made of chain mail (armor made of closely linked metal wire)
of the rich salt mines of
during the hottest part of the day. When his servants came to wake him to
the Sahara was envied
by Morocco. Songhay’s get ready for the midday prayer, they found him dead of a heart attack.
power was anchored by the
three greatest cities of the
medieval savanna: its capital aSkia iShaq ii
Gao; Timbuktu, which was The next descendant of Askia Daud to take the throne was Ishaq. He
the center of learning and
salt trade; and Jenne, the became known as Askia Ishaq II (r. 1588–1591). His immediate prob-
main shipping point of gold lem was that the people of Timbuktu were still loyal to Sadiq. With
from the south. Askia Bani now dead, Sadiq wanted to overthrow the new Askia and

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