Kanem Empire

Chad, 700 CE–1376. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kanem-Bornu Empire was an empire based around Lake Chad that once ruled areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, and Chad. The empire is believed to have been founded around the year 700, though later and earlier dates have also been proposed. The Duguwa dynasty ruled the empire from their capital Njimi in the Kanem region and used the ruling title mai. In the 11th century, the empire converted to Islam and the Duguwa were replaced with the Sayfawa dynasty.

Seat of power: Mao

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• The empire exerted considerable control over Saharan trade routes and exported salt, ivory, slaves, and animal products.
• The salt industry was particularly prosperous, with the empire able to provide salt across the surrounding region.
• The site of Njimi has never been satisfactorily located, despite attempts to find it since the mid-19th century.
• Kanem had developed into a literate society by the 12th century, when the scribes of the empire are recorded to have developed an original script style, the barnāwī.

Picture

The Kanem-based empire was brought to its zenith by the 13th-century mai Dunama II Dibalemi.

Image: Megartonius, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

• Kanem–Bornu Empire (Wikipedia)
• Kanem Empire (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.