Songhai Empire's Solar Calendar: Farming by the Stars

Before the Songhai Empire fell to the Saadian invasion of 1591, its farmers along the Niger River had developed a sophisticated solar calendar to time planting and harvests. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the agricultural knowledge of the Sorko and Tyeddo peoples, the role of the fari-mondio in managing seasonal floods, and how the empire's grain storage system kept cities like Gao and Timbuktu fed. They also discuss the surprising connection between celestial observation and political power, drawing on accounts from the Tarikh al-Sudan and the work of scholars like Ahmed Baba. This is a story of resilience, science, and a way of life that survived the empire's collapse. #SonghaiEmpire #NigerRiver #SolarCalendar #Sorko #Tyeddo #FariMondio #Gao #Timbuktu #AhmedBaba #TarikhAlSudan #Sahel #Agriculture #FloodFarming #WestAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #IndigenousScience #PrecolonialAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo