Jusqu’à XIᵉ siècle
Central Sudan, between Lake Chad and the Bahr al-Ghazal
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The Kingdom of the Zaghawa was the polity ruling Kanem when it first appears in Arabic written sources. Centered between Lake Chad and the Bahr al-Ghazal, it incorporated agricultural and pastoral populations and later expanded over a wider Central Sudanese region. Its monarchy possessed extensive coercive and ritual authority, while its economy combined cultivation, livestock raising, and participation in trans-Saharan slave commerce. Zaghawa rule in Kanem ended around 1075, when the Sefuwa dynasty displaced the ruling group eastward.
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Le récit
The Kingdom of the Zaghawa appears in Arabic geographical writing as the power ruling Kanem. Al-Ya'qubi, writing in the late ninth century, described Kanem as the first realm of the Zaghawa and named its king as Kakura. Later, al-Muhallabi described a kingdom whose boundaries corresponded to those of Kanem, making the political history of the Zaghawa inseparable from the early formation of the Lake Chad state.
The kingdom was not a homogeneous ethnic territory. Its population included many peoples, with cultivators and pastoralists living under a royal authority that could impose enslavement. The ruler's wealth rested on sheep, cattle, camels, and horses, while millet, beans, and wheat formed the principal crops. Reed huts served as ordinary dwellings and also as the material of the royal palace, suggesting a political center rooted in a predominantly rural environment.
The state's emergence is best presented cautiously. A small group associated with the Zaghawa may have stimulated state-building among communities living southeast of Kawar, between Lake Chad and the Bahr al-Ghazal, where iron-working was known and horses provided military prestige and power. Rather than a single massive invasion, the evidence supports a gradual extension of authority over neighboring agricultural and pastoral groups, followed by the integration of diverse populations into one political structure.
During the late tenth century, the kingdom expanded considerably beyond the core region of Kanem. It was described as approximately fifteen days' journey in length and width, and as larger than Kaw-Kaw, although less prosperous. Its rule contributed to the spread of Saharan languages and the cultural assimilation of neighboring peoples. Zaghawa domination of Kanem ended around 1075, when the Sefuwa dynasty came to power and drove the Zaghawa eastward.
Jusqu’à XIᵉ siècle
Central Sudan, between Lake Chad and the Bahr al-Ghazal
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Kingdom of the Zaghawa was the polity ruling Kanem when it first appears in Arabic written sources. Centered between Lake Chad and the Bahr al-Ghazal, it incorporated agricultural and pastoral populations and later expanded over a wider Central Sudanese region. Its monarchy possessed extensive coercive and ritual authority, while its economy combined cultivation, livestock raising, and participation in trans-Saharan slave commerce. Zaghawa rule in Kanem ended around 1075, when the Sefuwa dynasty displaced the ruling group eastward.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Kingdom of the Zaghawa appears in Arabic geographical writing as the power ruling Kanem. Al-Ya'qubi, writing in the late ninth century, described Kanem as the first realm of the Zaghawa and named its king as Kakura. Later, al-Muhallabi described a kingdom whose boundaries corresponded to those of Kanem, making the political history of the Zaghawa inseparable from the early formation of the Lake Chad state.
The kingdom was not a homogeneous ethnic territory. Its population included many peoples, with cultivators and pastoralists living under a royal authority that could impose enslavement. The ruler's wealth rested on sheep, cattle, camels, and horses, while millet, beans, and wheat formed the principal crops. Reed huts served as ordinary dwellings and also as the material of the royal palace, suggesting a political center rooted in a predominantly rural environment.
The state's emergence is best presented cautiously. A small group associated with the Zaghawa may have stimulated state-building among communities living southeast of Kawar, between Lake Chad and the Bahr al-Ghazal, where iron-working was known and horses provided military prestige and power. Rather than a single massive invasion, the evidence supports a gradual extension of authority over neighboring agricultural and pastoral groups, followed by the integration of diverse populations into one political structure.
During the late tenth century, the kingdom expanded considerably beyond the core region of Kanem. It was described as approximately fifteen days' journey in length and width, and as larger than Kaw-Kaw, although less prosperous. Its rule contributed to the spread of Saharan languages and the cultural assimilation of neighboring peoples. Zaghawa domination of Kanem ended around 1075, when the Sefuwa dynasty came to power and drove the Zaghawa eastward.
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