Bornu Reaches Its Peak

1625

Under Mai Ali ibn Umar, the Bornu Empire around Lake Chad reached its greatest extent, controlling Saharan caravan routes from Tripoli to the Hausa cities. Its cavalry wore chainmail, its scholars debated Sufism in Arabic, and its capital Ngazargamu housed tens of thousands of subjects. Bornu's prosperity rested on the trans-Saharan trade in salt, slaves, and horses that linked Africa's interior to the Mediterranean.