The Saadian Invasion of Timbuktu: A Turning Point

In 1591, an army of 4,000 Moroccan musketeers crossed the Sahara to conquer the Songhai Empire and take Timbuktu. Lucas and Luna explore the invasion led by Judar Pasha, a Spanish-born eunuch commander, and how the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur sought to control the gold and salt trades. They discuss the battle of Tondibi, where Songhai's cavalry and foot soldiers armed with spears faced gunpowder weapons for the first time in the region, and the aftermath that saw Timbuktu's scholars like Ahmad Baba deported to Marrakech. This episode also covers the long-term effects on the city's intellectual life and the rise of the Arma, a mixed-race ruling class. The story is told through the lens of the Tarikh al-Sudan, the chronicle by Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi, who lived through the invasion and recorded its devastation. #SaadianInvasion #JudarPasha #SonghaiEmpire #Timbuktu #TarikhAlSudan #AbdAlRahmanAlSadi #AhmadAlMansur #BattleOfTondibi #AhmadBaba #Arma #Gunpowder #Morocco #GoldTrade #SaltTrade #Sahara #WestAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo