Sultanate of Agadez
The Sultanate of Agadez (also known as Tenere Sultanate of Aïr,[1] Sultanate of Aïr, or Asben[2]) was a Berber kingdom centered in the city of Agadez in the Aïr Mountains, located at the southern edge of the Sahara desert in north-central Niger. It was founded in 1430 by the Tuareg and Hausa people as a trading post. The Agadez Sultanate was later conquered by the Songhai Empire in 1500.[1] After the defeat of the Songhai kingdom in 1591, the Agadez Sultanate regained its independence. It experienced a steep decline in population and economic activity during the 17th century. The sultanate came under French suzerainty in 1906.
Tenere Sultanate of Aïr | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Rough location of the Sultanate | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Agadez | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Tayiṛt, Arabic, Hausa | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Sultanate | ||||||||||||||
| Establishment | |||||||||||||||
• Establishment of the Sultanate | 1404 | ||||||||||||||
• Agadez proclaimed as the new seat of the Sultanate | 1430 | ||||||||||||||
• Conquered by Songhai | 1500 | ||||||||||||||
• Fall of the Songhai Empire | 1591 | ||||||||||||||
• Incorporated into French West Africa | 1906 | ||||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Niger | ||||||||||||||
History
According to oral tradition of the tribes of Kel Ferwan, Kel Owi and Itesen, the Sultanate was established because there had long been destructive clashes between the tribes. Because of this, the tribes sent an envoy to Constantinople to find a capable leader for the tribes. An article from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism about the renovation of Sultan Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou's guest room from 2018 states, that the Sultan sent from the Ottoman Empire was Yunus, one of the sons of the Sultan from an unnamed African woman out of his harem.[3]
Originally, the seat of the Sultanate was Tadaliza, which is now an archaeological site in the Air Mountains. Sultan Ilisawan (1430-1449) settled in Agadez and built a palace there, proclaiming it as the capital of the Sultanate in 1430.
In the 18th century, Tuareg confederacies from the north migrated south into the Air region, which led to unrest between the existing Tuareg confederacies in the Air region. By the end of the century, the Kel Geres were pushed south after being outnumbered by the Kel Owey.
German explorer Heinrich Barth visited Agadez in 1850 and described it as a ghost town, which was confirmed by French explorer Amédée-François Lamy at the time of his expedition.
The Sultanate fell under French administration in 1906.
At the time of the Kaocen Revolt, Sultan Tegama awaited the arrival of Kaocen, and after he was defeated by the French, the Sultan and many other conspirators fled the region. In 1917, the Sultan who had preceded Sultan Tegama was recalled by the French to Agadez to act as a mediator between the French administration and the people. [4]
List of Sultans
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1687 - 1721 | Muhammad Agg-Abba ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak | |
| 1721 | Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (1st time) | |
| 1721 | al-Wali ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak | |
| 1721 | Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (2nd time) | |
| 1721 | Muhammad al-Mu´min | |
| 1721 - 1722 | `Uthman ibn Muhammad al-Mu´min | |
| 1722 - 1735 | Muhammad Agg-`A´isha ibn Muhammad Agg-Abba | |
| 1735 - 1739 | Muhammad Humad ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (1st time) | |
| 1739 - 1744 | Muhammad Guma ibn al-`Adil | |
| 1744 - 1759 | Muhammad Humad ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (2nd time) | |
| 1759 - 1763 | Muhammad Guma ibn `Uthman | |
| 1763 - 1768 | Muhammad Humad ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (3rd time) | |
| 1768 - 1810 | Muhammad al-`Adil ibn Muhammad Humad | |
| 1810 - 1815 | Muhammad ad-Dani | |
| 1815 - 1816 | Muhammad al-Baqiri | |
| 1816 - 1821 | Muhammad Guma "Tabdali" (1st time) | |
| 1821 - 1828 | Ibrahim Waffa | |
| 1828 - 1835 | Muhammad Guma "Tabdali" (2nd time) | |
| 1835 - 1853 | `Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Baqiri | |
| 1853 - .... | Ahmad ar-Raffa` ibn Muhammad Guma (1st time) | |
| .... - .... | Muhammad al-Baqiri "Sufu" (1st time) | |
| .... - .... | Ahmad ar-Raffa` ibn Muhammad Guma (2nd time) | |
| .... - .... | Muhammad al-Baqiri "Sufu" (2nd time) | |
| .... - .... | Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi ibn Ahmad ar-Raffa` (1st time) | |
| .... - 1903 | Muhammad al-Baqiri "Sufu" (3rd time) | |
| 1903 - 1 Aug 1907 | `Uthman Mikitan ibn Abd al-Qadir | |
| 1 Aug 1907 - 1908 | Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi ibn Ahmad ar-Raffa` (2nd time) | |
| 1908 - 1917 | `Abd ar-Rahman Taghama ibn Muhammad al-Baqiri | |
| c.Mar 1917 - Apr 1917 | Jatawa | |
| 6 May 1917 - Nov 1919 | Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi ibn Ahmad ar-Raffa` (3rd time) (dismissed by the French) | |
| Nov 1919 - 13 May 1920 | Vacant | |
| 13 May 1920 - 1 Jan 1960 | `Umaru Agg-Ibrahim | |
| 1 Jan 1960 - 21 Feb 2012 | Ibrahim ibn `Umaru (b. 1938 - d. 2012) | |
| 21 Feb 2012 - Dec 2016 | `Umaru Ibrahim `Umaru | |
| 23 Dec 2016 - | Ibrahim Tsofo |
References
- James B. Minahan (2016). Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups around the World, 2nd Edition. ABC-CLIO. p. 418. ISBN 978-1-61069-954-9.
- "Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 442–443).
- [sultanate_of_agadez_revives_legacy_of_ottoman_empire_with_the_support_of_tika "Sultanate of Agadez Revives Legacy of Ottoman Empire with the Support of TİKA"]. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - Geels, Jolijn, (2006) Bradt Travel Guide - Niger, pg. 161-163
- Caravans of the Old Sahara: An Introduction to the History of the Western Sudan