Songai (songoy) is a people at the southern edge of the Sahara , living along the banks of the Niger River from the Jenne region in the north-west to the confluence of the Sokoto River into the Niger River (in the Republic of Niger , Mali , Burkina Faso , Nigeria , Benin ). They speak Songai languages conditionally attributable to the Nile-Saharan macrofamily . By religion - Sunni Muslims .
| Songai | |
|---|---|
| Total: 5 million | |
| Religion | Islam |
Male Songai in 2012 (Timbuktu, Mali)
The Sankorra Madrasa Mosque in the main city of Songai in Mali , Timbuktu .
The number is about 4.5 million.
In the Middle Ages, the Songhai created the state of Songhai , which flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries . Songai are traditionally engaged in farming ( rice , sorghum , millet ) in combination with livestock breeding and fishing, in the cities - crafts and trade.
Literature
- Peoples of Africa, M., 1954;
- Sure-Canal J. , Africa West and Central, per. from French., M., 1961;
- Rouch J., Les Songhay, P., 1954;
- Boubou H., L'histoire traditionnelle d'un peuple: les Zarma - Songhay, P., 1967.
See also
- Jerma