songhai definition
African History Flashcards Mali's decline happened because of the death of Mansa Musa, Berber nomads attacked the trade routes, and Songhai stopped paying taxes to the government. Songhai Definition: The greatest trade empire of west Africa. Significance to History: The Songhai empire lasted from 1400-1600 ce. Some major cities of Songhai were Gao and Timbuktu. Muslims leaders spread religion and invited scholars to study in the empire. Their primary religion was Islam. They were a really big trading empire.