Okay...I kinda recently found out about this great African empire. At its height it was massive in size and almost rivils the empires of Songhai and Mali. I tried doing some research on this empire, but infromation on this empire is very limited on the internet compared to Mali and Songhai. But I did find this in the book When We Ruled by Robin Walker. This is about the leader of the empire Mai Idris Alooma who ruled from 1564-1596.

He was a most successful politician of the period who gained considerable international prestige. Mahmud Kati, the great Songhai historian, wrote that: "The mass of our contemporaries hold that there are four Sultans not counting the supreme Sultan [the Sultan of Constantinople] to wit - The Sultan of Baghdad, the Sultan of Cairo, the Sultan of Bornu [sic] and the Sultan of Melli [i.e. Mali]". Dr Heinrich Barth, the nineteenth century German traveller, described Idris as "an excellent prince, uniting in himself the most opposite qualities: warlike energy, combined with mildness and intelligence; courage, with circumspection and patience; severity with pious feelings".

His military prowess was outstanding with armies, possibly the first in Africa, to have muskets. Acquiring them from the Turkish Empire, "[n]orth, south, east, and west he carried his conquering arms", says Lady Lugard. "To give a list of the many [peoples] that he subdued could only weary the reader". Imam Ahmad, the royal chronicler and aide, wrote a detailed account of Idris' campaigns. Part of his first hand report reads as follows: "'Abd ul Jalil ibn Bi fled and escaped, fearing our army. He had left his wife, the daughter of Yarima, in his house, turning from her when he saw the dust of our army, rising to the skies. For he was certain that the safety of a man himself is better for him than the safety of his wife. So he fled, deserting his wife, since personal necessity is more compelling than the lack of a wife, as the author of the book Ifrikiya has said."

Idris reformed and standardised the judiciary by establishing a system of Islamic courts. He himself ruled according to Islamic political theory, taking a stand against, among other things, immorality in the capital. Oliver and Atmore wrote that: "[H]e presided over a court famous for the high standard of its legal and theological disputations". Like his Songhai contemporaries, he was a patron of learning, encouraging scholars from many other African countries to take up residence in Borno. He improved navigation on the Yobe River. He commissioned the building of longer, flat-bottomed boats initially for his navy. For land transportation, he imported a much greater number of camels replacing the dependence on mules, oxen and donkeys. The great Mai was also a builder, raising new brick mosques in the cities that replaced the older buildings. He also founded a hostel in Mecca for Borno pilgrims. Following the fall of Songhai in 1591, the great Mai became the undisputed champion of the Muslims in the region. The empire became the Borno Caliphate. Phillip Koslow, a modern historian, declared that: "His contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, a shrewd and strong-willed monarch who gave her name to an age and has been repeatedly celebrated in books and films, could hardly have claimed greater achievements in war, administration or diplomacy."


Whats very amazing in the above is that there are 4 Sultans of the Islamic world during that time period (outside of the Supreme Sultan...the Sultan of Sultans). Baghdad and Cairo being on that list should be OBVIOUS. But Mahmud Kati, the Songhai historian, also mentions the sultans of Mali and Bornu. Whats so amazing about that is that it would mean Africans had equal power and authority in the Muslim world than what is typically acknowledged. Powerful black Muslims in the Muslim world are always overlooked and almost never given credit.

It's capital city was called Ngazargamu and was one of the largest cities on Earth (it may have been THE largest and if not definitely in the Top 3). By 1658 the metropolis, according to architectural scholar Susan Denyer, housed "about a quarter of a million people". It had 660 streets. Many were wide and unbending, reflective of town planning. The dendel, of high streets, were lined on both sides by trees that offered shade. These buildings must have been erected on an impressive scale. "Heinrich Barth, who inspected the remains of these walls during the 19th century declared that their worksmanship was equal in quality to the finest masonry he had seen in Europe."

Again this is all from the book When We Ruled.




So does anyone have any additional information on this empire?

We still have a tribe in northern Nigeria, the Kanuri, names after these people

They live in Borno state =D

pleep: We still have a tribe in northern Nigeria, the Kanuri, names after these people

They live in Borno state =D

Interesting!

Also were the Hausa states formerly a part this empire?

Kanem-Bornu empire. Oh,I miss my history days.
I would contribute when I lay my hands on my old history notes. Lol

ifyalways: Kanem-Bornu empire. Oh,I miss my history days.
I would contribute when I lay my hands on my old history notes. Lol

Okay.

Bump.

Lol, no one will know anymore info than what you posted in the title

pleep: Lol, no one will know anymore info than what you posted in the title

Lol I assumed people like PhysicsQED and PAGAN9 would know something or even you. I mean some of you guys are African, you guys should know about this stuff than me. :/

lol, your best bet is physics

Sorry, but I haven't read that much specifically about Kanem-Bornu, just some general descriptions and summaries of its early history in some books and a few things in some articles. So I can't be that helpful here.

Well guys thanks for at least trying.

KANEM WAS A GREAT AFRICAN CIVILIZATION DESTROYED BY ISLAMIC FANATICISM.



Kanem, like many other empires of West Africa, was founded by black Africans fleeing the Nile Valley following desertification of the Sahara and foreign invasions of Egypt which occurred between at least 100 BC and 700 AD. (See 'The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues Of A Race From 4500 BC To 2000 AD' by Dr Chancellor Williams)


This from another source:

Origins

The empire of Kanem began forming around AD 700 under the nomadic Tebu-speaking Kanembu. According to the Girgam, the [size=15pt]Kanembu were forced southwest towards the fertile lands around Lake Chad by political pressure and desiccation in their former range.[/size] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanem_Empire

(The Girgam is the royal chronicle of Kanem-Bornu, written in Arabic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girgam)




''POLITICAL PRESSURE'' MEANS ONE THING: BLACKS FLEEING PERSECUTION FROM FOREIGN INVADERS OF EGYPT, A FORMERLY BLACK STRONGHOLD.

''THEIR FORMER RANGE [from which they fled southwestwards]'' MEANS ONE PLACE: EGYPT.



Now THIS empire, KANEM, from 700 AD ran an African system of political, economic, and social organization and PROSPERED GREATLY.


Around 1085, a muslim seized power.


''The major factor that influenced the history of the state of Kanem was the early penetration of Islam. North African traders, Berbers and Arabs, brought the new religion. In 1085, a Muslim noble by the name of Hummay removed the last Duguwa king Selma from power and thus established the new dynasty of the Sefuwa.
The introduction of the Sefuwa dynasty meant radical changes for the Kanem Empire. First, it meant the Islamization of the court and state policies. Second, the identification of founders had to be revised. After the 13th century, the empire began associating Mai Sef with the legendary Yemenite hero Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan. Hence, it became customary to call the new ruling dynasty the Sayfawa instead of the Sefuwa.''


Islamization met with widespread opposition from the people who preferred their African traditions and conventions.

The DEATH KNELL FOR KANEM sounded after Mai Dunama attained power in 1221. Dunama, A MUSLIM, then decided to DESTROY THE NATIONAL 'MUNE' CULT, an African cult which had stood as the symbol of KANEM NATIONHOOD for 600 YEARS PRIOR.

''However, he also destroyed the national Mune cult and thus precipitated widespread revolt culminating in the uprise of the Tubu and the Bulala. The former could be quenched but the latter continued to linger on and finally led to the retreat of the Sayfuwa from Kanem to Bornu c. 1380...... The death knell of Sayfawa power in Kanem was dealt by the Bulala, invaders from the area around Lake Fitri to the east. By 1376, the Bulala had driven the Sayfawa from their capital. By 1388, they had taken Kanem altogether. The Kanuri were forced back into their nomadic ways and migrated west of Lake Chad, eventually establishing a new empire in Bornu.''


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanem_Empire


LESSON: WHEN YOU DESTROY YOUR AFRICANITY, YOU DESTROY YOUR VERY REASON FOR EXISTING.

Lots of good links in this thread
http://historum.com/middle-eastern-african-history/60047-little-frustrated-my-efforts-research-kanem-bornu.html

it all started with tebu and kanembu people both language are semiler, it will be kanembu people that will start the unification of kanembu and tebu people then the kanembu will esterblish the kingdom of kanem.


With the coming of islam, crisis and war inwhich the danisty incharge of kanem will lose its power, the danisty and kanem people that surport them will move to another area where they will intermarri with another people which will led to a new language know as kanuri

Burno kingdom and its language/people are know as kanuri which is similer to kanembu and tebu, the kingdom will grow to become an empire inwhich Burno and kanem will come together to form a confedretion which include tebu's.The are part of this morden day countries niger,chad,nigeria and south libya, do to nomadic they can also be found in egypt thats how their ancestors live since BC/AD .