Sii Ali Beeri became ruler of Gao in 1464 after the death of Sii Sulayman Dama. He is presented as an exceptionally ambitious and energetic military leader who remained constantly on campaign, defending his kingdom against invaders while extending its territory. His army included disciplined cavalry mounted on locally raised horses crossbred with Barbary horses brought across the Sahara.

Ali Beeri also exploited the waterways of the Niger. Sorko crews operated his river fleet under a commander called the Hikoi, allowing troops and supplies to move through territories bordering the river. This combination of mounted forces and river transport enabled Ali to target the Middle Niger, including the commercial networks carrying gold and salt through Timbuktu and Jenne.

At the end of 1468, Ali arrived opposite Timbuktu at the port of Kabara. He entered the city in January 1469 after its Muslim elite and Tuareg allies had failed to prevent his advance; his troops then sacked and burned the city and killed many inhabitants. Jenne resisted longer, but a prolonged siege eventually forced its surrender. Ali later defeated the Mossi ruler of Yatenga and continued campaigning until he died in 1492 while returning from another military expedition.

Sii Ali Beeri ruled Songhay from 1464 to 1492 and became the central heroic figure of Songhay oral traditions. Storytellers remembered him not only as a sovereign but also as za beri wandu, “the great and dangerous Za,” a sorcerer endowed with extraordinary magical power. The oral image of Ali therefore transformed a historical ruler into a figure whose authority was both political and supernatural.

Ali’s religious formation reflected the plural world of Songhay. His mother came from a small town whose inhabitants were not strict Muslims and whose religious specialists included sohanci and healers devoted to older traditions. As a prince, Ali received basic instruction in Islam, but as he reached adulthood he was portrayed as placing greater faith in ancient magic and sorcery.

His political position required him to govern a society divided between Muslim urban communities and largely non-Muslim farmers, hunters, and fishermen in the countryside. Ali maintained associations with Islam while also preserving links to ancestral religious practices. This dual connection allowed him to address the different sources of spiritual and social authority present within Songhay society.