13th century – 15th century
Lake Fitri and Kanem, central Sudan
The Bulala were a pastoral people associated with the Lake Fitri region who became the principal opponents of the Sefuwa kingdom in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Their conquest of Kanem broke the Sefuwa monopoly over trade with North Africa and forced the dynasty to relocate permanently to Bornu. The excerpt also places the Bulala in political relationship with the Kuka and later with Arab allies.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Bulala are described as a pastoral people probably settled around Lake Fitri before their incursions into Kanem. In that region they ruled over the Kuka, a people whose language was related to Sara. Their movement toward Kanem formed part of a wider political reconfiguration in the central Sudan, although the excerpt leaves open whether Arab migrations after the weakening of Christian Nubia contributed to the Bulala advance.
Bulala intervention became decisive when the Sefuwa kingdom was weakened by dynastic conflict. Several Sefuwa rulers were killed in battles against the Bulala, and Umar b. Idris was forced to leave Djimi. The crisis culminated in the abandonment of Kanem by the Sefuwa and the transfer of their political center to Bornu.
By conquering Kanem, the Bulala ended the kingdom’s exclusive control over the central Saharan caravan route and its trading monopoly with North Africa. Their victory marked the beginning of a severe decline in Sefuwa fortunes, even though the dynasty survived and later ruled from Bornu. The excerpt also notes that Arabs were among the Bulala’s allies by the end of the sixteenth century.
13th century – 15th century
Lake Fitri and Kanem, central Sudan
The Bulala were a pastoral people associated with the Lake Fitri region who became the principal opponents of the Sefuwa kingdom in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Their conquest of Kanem broke the Sefuwa monopoly over trade with North Africa and forced the dynasty to relocate permanently to Bornu. The excerpt also places the Bulala in political relationship with the Kuka and later with Arab allies.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Bulala are described as a pastoral people probably settled around Lake Fitri before their incursions into Kanem. In that region they ruled over the Kuka, a people whose language was related to Sara. Their movement toward Kanem formed part of a wider political reconfiguration in the central Sudan, although the excerpt leaves open whether Arab migrations after the weakening of Christian Nubia contributed to the Bulala advance.
Bulala intervention became decisive when the Sefuwa kingdom was weakened by dynastic conflict. Several Sefuwa rulers were killed in battles against the Bulala, and Umar b. Idris was forced to leave Djimi. The crisis culminated in the abandonment of Kanem by the Sefuwa and the transfer of their political center to Bornu.
By conquering Kanem, the Bulala ended the kingdom’s exclusive control over the central Saharan caravan route and its trading monopoly with North Africa. Their victory marked the beginning of a severe decline in Sefuwa fortunes, even though the dynasty survived and later ruled from Bornu. The excerpt also notes that Arabs were among the Bulala’s allies by the end of the sixteenth century.
Continue the journey
Other paths related to this story.