Sonni Ali (d. 1492)
Sonni Ali, also known as Sunni Ali Ber or “Sunni Ali,” was a military strategist, conqueror and founder of the Songhai Empire in West Africa. Under Sonni Ali’s infantry and cavalry, many cities were captured and then fortified, such as Timbuktu and Djenné. During his reign, Songhai surpassed the height of the Mali Empire, engulfing areas under the Mali Empire and the Ghana Empire before it.
Askia Muhammad I (c. 1443 – 1538)
Askia Muhammad, also known as Askia the Great, was an emperor, military commander and political reformer of the Songhai Empire. Under Askia Muhammad, the Songhai empire became the largest ever in West Africa and one of the largest empires in Islamic history.
Mustafa Zemmouri/Estevanico (c. 1500–1539)
Mustafa Zemmouri, also known as Estevanico or Esteban de Dorantes, was enslaved by the Portuguese and later the Spanish in his home in Morocco. Estevanico took part in Spanish exploration expeditions in regions corresponding to modern-day Cuba, Mexico, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. As such, he is considered to be the first African-born individual to have set foot in continental North America.
Idris Alawma (1580–1617)
Idris Alawma was an administrator, military leader and ruler of the Bornu-Kamen Empire in what is today part of Chad and Nigeria. Following the fall of the Songhai Empire, he became the most powerful Muslim monarch between the Niger and the Nile.
