Songhai Empire (Of Lions and Falcons)

The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) is a state that dominate the western Sahel and the Niger river in the 15th and 16th century. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its leading ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai.

Initially, the empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty (c. 1464–1493), but it was later replaced by the Askiya dynasty (1493–1591).

Originally a tributary of the Mali Empire, this region of fishermen on the eastern Niger would take advantage of the slow Malian decline to establish an independent state under the leadership of powerful Askiya.