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The Tomb of Askia, in Gao, Mali, is believed to be the burial place of Askia Mohammad I, one of the Songhai Empire's most prolific emperors. It was built at the end of the fifteenth century and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO describes the tomb as a fine example of the monumental mud-building traditions of the West African ...
The Tomb of Askia, a 17-meter pyramidal structure built by Askia Mohamed in 1495 in Gao, symbolizes the Songhai Empire's power and wealth from the 15th to 16th centuries. It exemplifies West African Sahel's monumental mud-building traditions, featuring two flat-roofed mosque buildings, the mosque cemetery, and an open-air assembly ground.
The title Askia [b] (Arabic: اسكيا) is of unknown origin, [10] but had been in use since the early 13th century, if not earlier. [11] It may derive from an arabic word for 'general.' [12]: 253 The Tarikh al-Sudan provides a folk etymology for the title, claiming that Askia Muhammad invented the title himself based on the lament of Sonni Ali's daughters when they had learned he had seized ...
His son and successor, Sonni Bāru, was overthrown by Muhammad Ture, one of his father's generals. Ture, more commonly known as Askia the Great, instituted political and economic reforms throughout the empire. A series of plots and coups by Askia's successors forced the empire into a period of decline and instability.
The Askiya dynasty, also known as the Askia dynasty, ruled the Songhai Empire at the height of that state's power. It was founded in 1493 by Askia Mohammad I , a general of the Songhai Empire who usurped the Sonni dynasty .
The building still stands today, likely due to Al-Sahili's directive to incorporate a wooden framework into the mud walls in order to facilitate repairs after the rainy season. [26] Despite its historical significance the Sankoré mosque was smaller and less intricate than earlier Malian mosques such as the Great Mosque of Djenné .
Ishaq II gathered a unit of 1,200 elite horsemen and ordered his hi-koi (chief naval commander), Laha, to strike the pasha in the town of Kukiya. Muhammad Gao was supposed to join this unit, leading 100 cavalrymen, but his soldiers proclaimed him as the new Askia, while Ishaq II fled to the Gurma province, where he was killed. [4]
The threat from the Songhay Empire became a far graver matter during the reign of Mansa Mahmud III. From 1500 to 1510, Askia Muhammad's forces picked apart Mali's remaining provinces in the Sahel. Around 1499, [76] the Askiya conquered Baghana province from Mali despite the latter's Fulani allies. [77]