Sonni Ali

Sunni Ali, also known as Si Ali, Sunni Ali Ber (Ber meaning "the Great"),[1] born Ali Kolon,[2][3] reigned from about 1464 to 1492 as the first king of the Songhai Empire and as the 15th ruler of the Sunni dynasty. Under Sunni Ali's command, many cities were captured and then fortified, such as Timbuktu (captured in 1468) and Djenné (captured in 1475). Sunni conducted a repressive policy against the scholars of Timbuktu, especially those of the Sankore region who were associated with the Tuareg whom Ali expelled to gain control of the town.

Sunni Ali
of the Songhai Empire, 15th ruler of the Sunni dynasty
King of Songhai
Reign1464 – November 6, 1492
SuccessorSunni Baru
Sunni dynasty
Reign1464 – 1492
PredecessorSunni Suleiman
SuccessorSunni Baru
BornAli Kolon
Died1492
ReligionIslam
Extent of the Songhai Empire, circa 1500.

Sunni Ali organized a fleet to the Niger river. During his reign, Songhai surpassed the height of the Mali Empire, engulfing areas under the Mali Empire (and the Ghana Empire before it). His death, on November 6, 1492, is a matter of conjecture. According to the Tarikh al-Sudan, Ali drowned while crossing the Niger River.[4] Oral tradition believes he was killed by his sister's son, Askia Muhammad Ture.[4][5] He was succeeded by his son, Sunni Baru, who was challenged by Askia because Baru was not seen as a faithful Muslim.[6] Askia succeeded to the throne. According to the Tarikh al-Sudan it is believed that this action caused Sonni Ali's daughters to shout out "A si kiya!" a more modern phrasing would be “A si tiya” or (he shall not be it), at the news of this take over.[7]

Sunni Ali ruled over both urban Muslims and rural non-Muslims at a time when the traditional co-existence of different beliefs was being challenged. His adherence to African animism while also professing Islam leads some writers to describe him as outwardly or nominally Muslim.[4]

References
  1. Walker, Robin (1999). The West African empire of Songhai in 10 easy lessons : introduction to black history. Siaf Millar. Birmingham: Concept Learning Ltd. ISBN 1-903181-00-3. OCLC 47678165.
  2. Adeleke, Tunde (1996). Songhay (1st ed.). New York: Rosen Pub. Group. ISBN 0-8239-1986-2. OCLC 31936544.
  3. "Chapter 2: The Origin of the Sonni" (PDF). siiasi.org. Sankore Institute of Islamic African Studies International. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  4. Saʻdī, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻAbd Allāh,? (1999). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire : Al-Saʻdi's Taʼrīkh al-Sūdān down to 1613, and other contemporary documents. John O. Hunwick. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-11207-3. OCLC 40602667.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Lipschutz, Mark R. (1986). Dictionary of African historical biography. R. Kent Rasmussen (2nd ed., expanded and updated ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-05179-3. OCLC 14069361.
  6. Ohaegbulam, Festus Ugboaja (1990). Towards an Understanding of the African Experience from Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-8191-7941-8.
  7. "African Legends". Africanlegends.info. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
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