Askia Muhammad Pilgrimages to Mecca
1501
The Songhai emperor Askia Muhammad I led a vast pilgrimage caravan across the Sahara to Mecca, carrying three hundred thousand pieces of gold. In Cairo he was appointed caliph of the western Sudan. Songhai, the greatest West African empire of the era, was announcing itself to the Islamic world. His lavish gold distribution raised Songhai's profile and attracted scholars from across the Islamic world to Timbuktu and Djenne.
In context
Also in 1501 (4 other events on record)
- Ismail Crowned Shah of Persia · Middle East · Religion
- First Africans Shipped to Hispaniola · North America · Politics
- Amerigo Vespucci Maps a New World · South America · Exploration
- Esfahan Begins Its Safavid Reawakening · Middle East · Culture
Before and after in Africa
Before and after in Religion
Era
Renaissance (1501–1650), one of 715 events from that era on Saeculum.