West African empires timeline
This chart puts 14 West African empires and kingdoms on one timeline in order, from Nok culture (c. 1500 BCE to 1 CE) to Kingdom of Dahomey (c. 1600 to 1904 CE). On these dates, Ghana Empire (Wagadu) lasted longest, about 900 years.
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- Nok culturec. 1500 BCE to 1 CE
- Ghana Empire (Wagadu)c. 300 to 1200 CE
- Takrurc. 500 to 1285 CE
- Kanem Empirec. 700 to 1387 CE
- Ifec. 1000 to 1420 CE
- Hausa city-statesc. 1000 to 1808 CE
- Kingdom of Beninc. 1180 to 1897 CE
- Mali Empirec. 1235 to 1610 CE
- Oyo Empirec. 1300 to 1835 CE
- Bornu Empirec. 1387 to 1893 CE
- Songhai Empire1464 to 1591 CE
- Kingdom of Dahomeyc. 1600 to 1904 CE
- Ashanti Empire1701 to 1901 CE
- Sokoto Caliphate1804 to 1903 CE
- Niger-Congo
- Nilo-Saharan
- Chadic
- People or culture without a state
In order
Nok culture
Farming culture of central Nigeria known for nearly life-size terracotta figures, the earliest large sculptures in Africa outside Egypt. Iron working may have begun there between 750 and 550 BCE. Its origins and language are unknown.
Ghana Empire (Wagadu)
Soninke empire between the Senegal and Niger rivers that held a monopoly on gold heading north and salt heading south. Arab writers called it the land of gold. An Almoravid conquest in 1076 is now doubted, and the Sosso took Ghana by 1203.
Takrur
Kingdom on the Senegal River whose king War Jabi introduced sharia law in 1035, the first Sahel ruler to formally adopt Islamic orthodoxy. Mali conquered it around 1286.
Kanem Empire
Empire northeast of Lake Chad, ruled from Njimi by the Duguwa and from the 11th century by the Muslim Sayfawa, that controlled Saharan routes as far as the Fezzan. Around 1380 the Bilala took Njimi and the court moved west to Bornu.
Ife
Sacred Yoruba city-state, held to be the place where the world was created, whose artists cast naturalistic heads in copper alloy. Its Ooni still reigns as a ritual leader.
Hausa city-states
Trading cities such as Kano, Katsina and Zazzau that grew on indigo-dyed cloth, leatherwork and caravan trade. The Fula jihad of Usman dan Fodio conquered them from 1804.
Kingdom of Benin
Edo kingdom known for vast earthen walls and cast brass art, trading with the Portuguese from 1485. A British punitive expedition captured Benin City in 1897, burning many buildings and looting the Benin Bronzes and other artefacts.
Mali Empire
Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita, at its peak the largest in West Africa. Mansa Musa's pilgrimage of 1324 to 1326 spent enough gold to cause inflation in Egypt, and Timbuktu, annexed in 1324, became a centre of learning.
Oyo Empire
Yoruba empire whose cavalry forced Dahomey to pay tribute. After palace intrigue, Ilorin seceded in 1817, joined the Sokoto Caliphate, and destroyed the capital Oyo-Ile in 1835.
Bornu Empire
The Sayfawa state refounded west of Lake Chad, with Ngazargamu as capital from about 1472. Idris Alooma drew on Turkish muskets and instructors. The al-Kanemi shehus held power from 1814, formally from 1846, until Rabih az-Zubayr conquered it in 1893.
Songhai Empire
One of the largest African empires, built by Sonni Ali and Askia Muhammad along the Niger from Gao. A Moroccan army with arquebuses and cannon routed it at Tondibi in 1591.
Kingdom of Dahomey
Fon kingdom that seized the port of Ouidah in 1727 and became a major supplier to the Atlantic slave trade, with a regiment of women soldiers. France conquered it in 1892 to 1894.
Ashanti Empire
Akan empire founded by Osei Tutu around the Golden Stool, which grew on gold and slave trading. It fought Britain in a series of wars until annexation after the War of the Golden Stool in 1900.
Sokoto Caliphate
Islamic state founded by the Fula scholar Usman dan Fodio, which united the Hausa cities under some thirty emirates. One of the largest African states of its age, it fell to British forces in 1903.
Major events
- Iron smelting in West Africa. Iron smelting is established in the Nok culture of central Nigeria by about 500 BCE, possibly developed locally between the 9th and 6th centuries BCE. Nok sites such as Taruga have yielded iron slag.
- Battle of Kirina. Sundiata Keita defeats the Sosso king Sumanguru Kante, a date often taken as the start of the Mali Empire. The battle is retold in the Epic of Sundiata.
- Mansa Musa's pilgrimage. Mansa Musa of Mali passes through Cairo on the way to Mecca with a huge entourage, and his gifts of gold are said to have lowered its value in Egypt.
- Battle of Tondibi. A Moroccan army armed with arquebuses, sent across the Sahara by Ahmad al-Mansur, defeats the Songhai and seals the downfall of the Songhai Empire.
- Peak of the Atlantic slave trade. The Atlantic slave trade peaks in the last two decades of the 18th century, fed in part by the wars of expanding states such as Dahomey, Oyo and Ashanti. In all about 12.75 million Africans were shipped.
- Usman dan Fodio's jihad. The Fula scholar Usman dan Fodio declares a holy war against the Hausa king of Gobir, founding the Sokoto Caliphate within a few years.
Questions
What is the order of West African empires and kingdoms?
By start date: Nok culture, Ghana Empire (Wagadu), Takrur, Kanem Empire, Ife, Hausa city-states, Kingdom of Benin, Mali Empire, Oyo Empire, Bornu Empire, Songhai Empire, Kingdom of Dahomey, Ashanti Empire and Sokoto Caliphate.
Which of the West African empires and kingdoms lasted longest?
On this timeline, Ghana Empire (Wagadu), at about 900 years (c. 300 to 1200 CE).
How many West African empires and kingdoms were there?
This timeline shows 14. Other lists count differently, depending on how they treat rival states and periods of division.
Which came first?
Nok culture, c. 1500 BCE to 1 CE, is the earliest on this timeline.
Where do these dates come from?
Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.