Za Dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Za Dynasty or Zuwa Dynasty were rulers of a kingdom based in the towns of Kukiya and Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....

 on the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...

 in what is today modern Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

.

Oral history and the Tarikh al-Sudan

Al-Sadi's seventeenth century chronicle, the Tarikh al-Sudan, provides a early history of the Songhay as handed down by oral tradition. The chronicle reports that the legendary founder of the dynasty, Za Alayaman, originally came from the Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

 and settled in the town of Kukiya. The town is believed to have been near the modern village of Bentiya on the eastern bank of the Niger, north of the Fafa rapids, 134 km south east of Gao. Tombstones with Arabic inscriptions dating from the 14th and 15th centuries have been found in the area. Kukiya is also mentioned in the other important chronicle, the Tarikh al-fattash
Tarikh al-fattash
The Tarikh al-fattash is a chronicle written in Arabic in the second half of the 17th century. It provides an account of the Songhay Empire from the reign of Sonni Ali up to 1599 with a few references to events in the following century. The chronicle also mentions the earlier Mali Empire. Octave...

. The Tarikh al-Sudan relates that the 15th ruler, Za Kusoy, converted to Islam in the year 1009-1010 A.D. At some stage the kingdom or at least its political focus moved north to Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....

. The kingdom of Gao capitalized on the growing trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara to reach sub-Saharan Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the late 16th century.- Increasing desertification and economic incentive :...

 and grew into a small regional power before being conquered by the Mali Empire
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...

 in the early 13th century.

Rulers of the Za dynasty as given in the Tarikh al-Sudan

These names with their diacritics are as given in the translation by John Hunwick
John Hunwick
John Owen Hunwick is a noted professor, author, Africanist. He has published several books, articles and journals in the African Studies field. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University having retired in 2004 after 23 years of service.-Biography:Born 1936 in Chard, Somerset, in...

. The surviving Arabic manuscripts differ both in the spelling and the vocalization of the names.
  1. Alayaman
  2. Zakoi
  3. Takoi
  4. Ikoi
  5. ʿAlī Fay
  6. Biya Kumay
  7. Bī/Bay
  8. Karay
  9. Yama Karaway
  10. Yuma Dunku
  11. Yuma Kībuʿu
  12. Kūkura
  13. Kinkin
  14. Kusoy
  15. Kusur Dāri
  16. Hin Kun Wunka Dum
  17. Biyay Koi Kīma
  18. Koy Kīmi
  19. Nuntā Sanay
  20. Biyay Kayna Kinba
  21. Kayna Shinyunbu
  22. Tib
  23. Yama Dao
  24. Fadazaw
  25. ʿAlī Kur
  26. Bēr Falaku
  27. Yāsiboy
  28. Dūru
  29. Zunku Bāru
  30. Bisi Bāru
  31. Badā
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