CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE HISTORY OF SONGHAY. 597 
Songhay. 
Sikkia.* Thus the dynasty of a 
foreign family, Libyan, Coptic, or 
Himyaritic, was supplanted by a 
native Songhay and African — (e 
torno el dominio nei Negri) — al- 
though it leaned more towards 
Islam and Mohammedan learning 
than the former one. For A'skia 
was a friend of the learned, and 
followed their advice. 
The first thing which this great Son- 
ghay king felt it incumbent to do 
was to give his subjects some re- 
pose, by reducing his army and 
allowing part of the people to en- 
gage in pacific pursuits, all the 
inhabitants having been employed 
by Sonni 'All in warlike purposes. 
Altogether it does not appear exag- 
gerated what A hmed Baba says of 
this distinguished king, that " God 
made use of his service in order to 
save the true believers (in Negro- 
land) from their sufferings and 
calamities." 
Immediately after his accession to 
power, A'skia sent for his brother 
Omar from Biru or Walata, which 
place already at this time had so 
totally merged into a Songhay 
province, that the Songhay idiom, 
at least in the higher circles, where 
a traveller like Leo was likely to 
move about, had becomethe com- 
mon language. " Questa gente," 
says Leo of the inhabitants of Wa- 
lata, "usa un certo linguaggio det- 
to Sungai." f A'skia, then made 
his brother, in whom he had im- 
plicit confidence, Tumbutu-koy in 
the place of J Al Mukhtar ben 
Mohammed Nasr. 
He then sent his other brother, like- 
A D. 
A.H. 
1494 
Neighbouring Kingdoms. 
The Songhay language extends 
as far as Walata and Jinni. 
end of 
899 
* The origin of this name, as stated by A'hmed Baba,fis not very probable. But although it is true that " A'skia " 
was rather a royal title, which the founder of this new dynasty adopted, nevertheless, in Ne^roland the popular 
name of this great ruler and conqueror is nothing but A'skia, and that was the reason why Leo calls him onlv bv 
this name, changing it into Ischia. 3 y 
f Leo, 1. vi. c.2. p. 138., ed. Venezia, 1837. 
X These words Mr. Kalfs (p. 533.) has neglected to translate. 
QQ 3 
