From 19th century
Upper West Africa, from Sierra Leone and Guinea to Bamako and Kankan
Samori Ture’s empire grew from an Islamic revolution and a series of rebellions organized by the Islamized and educated Joola trading section of the Soninke. By the 1880s, it extended from northern Sierra Leone and Guinea to Bamako and included Kankan, an important Joola trading and Islamic center. Samori used Islam as an integrating force while building a major West African imperial formation.
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The Story
Samori Ture’s revolution began in the 1870s within the wider upheavals of the Western Sudan. Unlike several earlier jihads, it was organized by the Joola, or Dyula, an Islamized and educated trading section of the Soninke. The movement emerged from numerous rebellions organized from the 1840s onward and eventually produced one of the most important empires of the period.
Samori’s empire extended from the northern parts of modern Sierra Leone and Guinea to Bamako. It included Kankan, a major Joola trading and Islamic center. This geographic reach connected commercial networks, Islamic institutions, and political authority across a broad zone of Upper West Africa.
Although Samori was described as less educated and less fanatical than earlier jihad leaders, he aimed until the mid-1880s to convert people to Islam and to use the religion as an integrating force. His empire therefore combined military expansion with religious and political consolidation.
From 19th century
Upper West Africa, from Sierra Leone and Guinea to Bamako and Kankan
Samori Ture’s empire grew from an Islamic revolution and a series of rebellions organized by the Islamized and educated Joola trading section of the Soninke. By the 1880s, it extended from northern Sierra Leone and Guinea to Bamako and included Kankan, an important Joola trading and Islamic center. Samori used Islam as an integrating force while building a major West African imperial formation.
Continue exploring
The Story
Samori Ture’s revolution began in the 1870s within the wider upheavals of the Western Sudan. Unlike several earlier jihads, it was organized by the Joola, or Dyula, an Islamized and educated trading section of the Soninke. The movement emerged from numerous rebellions organized from the 1840s onward and eventually produced one of the most important empires of the period.
Although Samori was described as less educated and less fanatical than earlier jihad leaders, he aimed until the mid-1880s to convert people to Islam and to use the religion as an integrating force. His empire therefore combined military expansion with religious and political consolidation.