Songhai's Ecological Crisis: Drought, Famine, and the Niger's Changing Course

In the late 16th century, the Songhai Empire faced not only military threats but a devastating ecological crisis. This episode explores the severe droughts and famines that struck the Sahel between 1580 and 1590, documented in the Tarikh al-Sudan and other local chronicles. Lucas and Luna discuss how the Niger River's unpredictable flooding and declining rainfall undermined agricultural productivity, contributing to political instability and the empire's vulnerability to the Saadian invasion. They examine specific famine years, the role of locust plagues, and the strain on trade networks. The conversation also touches on the long-term environmental shifts in the Sahel and how Songhai's rulers struggled to respond, revealing a dimension of the empire's decline often overshadowed by military history. #SonghaiEmpire #SahelDrought #NigerRiver #TarikhAlSudan #Famine #EnvironmentalHistory #AskiaDawud #SahelClimate #WestAfricanHistory #1580s #LocustPlague #Gao #Timbuktu #Dendi #MedievalClimate #History #FexingoHistory #EcologicalCrisis Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo