The Songhai Imperial Currency That Never Existed

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the surprising absence of a standardized currency in the Songhai Empire, despite its vast trans-Saharan trade networks. They discuss how the empire relied on barter, cowrie shells, salt bars, and gold dust (tubal) rather than minted coins, and how this system worked across diverse regions from Gao to Timbuktu. The conversation touches on the Almoravid dinar that circulated in trade, the limited minting under Askia Muhammad, and the insights of travelers like al-Hasan al-Wazzan. They also examine how the Saadian invasion disrupted these trade networks, and what the lack of indigenous coinage tells us about Songhai's economic and political structure. This episode offers a fresh angle on Songhai's economy, building on prior discussions of salt, gold, and silent barter while diving into the specific mechanisms of exchange and the empire's relationship with currency. #SonghaiEmpire #Currency #CowrieShells #GoldDust #SaltBars #TransSaharanTrade #AskiaMuhammad #AlHasanAlWazzan #AlmoravidDinar #Gao #Timbuktu #BarterEconomy #Tubal #MansaMusa #SaadianInvasion #WestAfricanHistory #EconomicHistory #FexingoHistory #WestAfrica #SunniAli Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo