Kanem Empire formally adopts Islam

1169

Mai Dunama I of the Saifawa dynasty formalized Islam as the state religion of the Kanem Empire, establishing diplomatic ties with the Almohad Caliphate across the Sahara and sending young scholars to study Islamic jurisprudence in Cairo and Kairouan. The royal conversion cemented Kanem's position astride the lucrative trans-Saharan trade routes and drew North African merchants ever deeper into the kingdoms of the Sahel.