598 
APPENDIX IX. 
Songhay. 
AD. 
A.H. 
Neighbouring Kingdoms. 
wise called Omar, but with the sur- 
name Kumzaghu*, the fereng of 
Kurmina who conquered the im- 
portant town of Zagha, and made 
war against " Bukr ma," (Burku- 
m'a?), evidently a Mandingo go- 
vernor of the empire of Melle. 
He also, according to Leo, im- 
prisoned the ruler of Jinni, whom 
Sonni 'All had allowed to reside 
in his own capital, and kept him 
during his lifetime a prisoner in 
Gagho, ruling Jinni by means of 
a governor. 
Having thus not only consolidated, 
but even extended, the empire, the 
first A'skia undertook a pilgrimage 
to Mekka, which brought him 
into contact with the princes and 
learned men of the East, and made 
him more famous, than any other of 
his enterprises. The most distin- 
guished men of all the tribes under 
his command accompanied him on 
his great journey, especially the 
great Weli Mur Saleh Jur, a Wa- 
kore, native of the town of Tutalna j 
in the province of Tindirma, and 
1 ^OO avmprl m p n 1 OOO nn foot, and 
500 on horseback. He took with 
him 300,000 mithkal, but behaved so 
generously that, according to Leo, 
he was obliged to contract a loan 
of 150,000 mithkal more. He had 
an official investiture performed 
by the Sherff el Abasi, as Khalifa 
in Songhay, and took the advice of 
the most learned and pious men, 
such as Jelal e' Soyuti. He also 
20th Sep. 
1495 
901 
Safer, 
902 
Joao II., the indefatigable king 
of Portugal, died, whose spirit 
found no repose but in pro- 
moting the welfare of his 
people, and in distant dis- 
coveries, especially in Africa. 
As we learn from an occa- 
sional hint in De Barrosf, 
this king had already sent an 
ambassador to the Mansa of 
Melle. 
* Whether this 'Omar received his surname Kumzaghu only from the circumstance of his taking the town of Zagha, 
we cannot decide ; but there is no doubt that he must be distinguished from the other brother of the same name, 
else A'hmed Baba would be guilty of an absurdity. We never find that a governor of the important province of 
Kurmina was at the same time Tumbutu-koy ; and the difference of the two individuals is quite evident, for 'Omar 
Kumzaghu died 926, and ' Omar, son of Bu Bakr, — that is to say, his other brother, — the Tumbutu-koy, 928. See 
further down. 
t De Barros, i. 1. iii. c. 12, p. 257, dizendo (the later Mansa, in Manuel's time) que havia em boa ventura ser lhe 
enviado este mensajeiro, porque a seu avo que tinha a seu proprio nome fora, enviado otro mensajeiro do otro 
Rey D. Joao de Portugal. 
X Tukalna, as the name is given by Ralfs, is wrong. 
