CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE HISTORY OF SONGHAY. 583 
Songhay. 
A.D. 
A.H. 
Neighbouring Kingdoms. 
1061 
453 
A'bu Bakr ben 'Omar makes an 
expedition on a grand scale 
against the Negro tribes. 
A'bu 'Obaid Allah el BekrVs invaluable Account of N'egroland, 
Gogo *, or Gagho (the capital of 
Songhay), consisting of two towns, 
one the residence of the king and 
the quarter of the Mohammedans, 
the other inhabited by idolaters. 
The Mohammedan worship so pre- 
dominant already, that none but a 
Moslmi could be king ; nay, on the 
accession of a new king three royal 
emblems, consisting of a ring, a 
sword, and a Kuran (c — 
which were said to have been hand- 
ed down from former times, having 
been sent by an Emir el Mumenin 
(evidently from Egypt), were given 
to him. Thus we see, that already 
at that early period the king of Son- 
ghay was a Ruler of the Faithful, 
and the account of A'hmed Baba, 
who dates Islam in this kingdom 
from the year 400, is confirmed in 
a remarkable manner. El Bekri 
calls the then ruling king Kanda, 
and he is most probably identical 
with the Za Bayuki or Bayarkoy 
Kaima (of A'hmedBaba), the third 
successor of Za Kasf. 
Gogo already at that time was an 
important market place, chiefly for 
salt, which was brought from the 
Berber town Taiitek, six days be- 
yond Tademekka, which place was 
nine days from Gogo. 
El Bekri, besides Gogo, gives a very 
interesting account of Kugha, but, 
unfortunately, he gives f no par- 
1067 
460 
The Senhaja at this period 
ruled over the whole western 
part of the desert, and spread 
Islam over the neighbour- 
ing parts of Negroland, espe- 
cially towards Ghanata. 
Further eastward, between the 
southerly bend of the Niger 
and the later town of A'gades, 
were the Seghmara, under the 
dominion of the Tademekka, 
who had a very large town 
(Tademekka), a great com- 
mercial centre, nine days from 
Gogo, and forty from Gha- 
dames. 
Between Tademekka and Gha- 
nata there was a commercial 
place of importance called 
Tirekka (see Vol. V. p. 150.). 
Sama and Hombori, consider- 
able seats of power. 
* El Bekri, ed. Macguckin de Slane, p. 183. The name ' j}} wnich the Ara09 S ave to tne inhabitants 
seems to have some connection with the surname of one of the successors of Sunni, Bazekin or Bazerkin. 
f El Bekri, 179. It is a great pity that just in this place the author, whose statements in general are distinguished 
by their clearness, should commit a palpable mistake, by placing Ambara (Hombori) west of Ghanata. 
pp 4 
