Chap. LI. INTRODUCTION OF ISLA'M. 
429 
Leo could call the prince of Gaoga a Mohammedan, 
while the learned men of the country positively affirm 
that the Islam in these regions dates no further back 
than the eleventh century of the Hejra, the beginning 
of which exactly coincides with that of the seven- 
teenth century of our era, and consequently about a 
century after Leo's visit to Africa ; for Leo speaks 
only of the rulers themselves, whose religious creed, 
probably, had no influence upon the people of the coun- 
try in general. Leo's statement entirely harmonizes 
with the information gleaned from Makrizi ; for the 
princes of Kanem in the time of the latter historian were 
identical with the rulers of that very kingdom which 
Leo calls Gaoga, although in Makrizi's time they seem 
to have established the capital of their empire in 
Njimiye, which they had conquered from the Bornu 
dynasty.* 
Moreover this apparent discrepancy receives further 
explanation from the fact, that soon after Leo visited 
these regions the pagan nation of the Tynjur ex- 
tended their empire from Dar-Fur to the very borders 
of Bagirmi, opposing a strong barrier to the propaga- 
tion of Islam. Respecting the name 'Omar, by which 
Leo designates the king of the Bulala in his time, I 
have already given an opinion on a former occasion. 
The Tynjur, of whose original language I have not 
* With regard to their places of residence in the time of Edris 
Alawoma, see Appendix II. 
