Tenere Sultanate of Aïr
Rough location of the Sultanate
Rough location of the Sultanate
CapitalAgadez
Common languagesTayiṛt, Arabic, Hausa
Religion
Sunni Islam
GovernmentSultanate
Establishment
• Establishment of the Sultanate
1404
• Agadez proclaimed as the new seat of the Sultanate
1430
• Conquered by Songhai
1500
• Fall of the Songhai Empire
1591
• Incorporated into French West Africa
1906
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Songhai Empire
Kel Ferwan
Kel Owey
Kel Geres
French West Africa
Today part ofNiger

The Sultanate of Agadez (also known as Tenere Sultanate of Aïr,[1] Sultanate of Aïr, or Asben[2]) was a Berber kingdom centered in the city of Agadez in the Aïr Mountains, located at the southern edge of the Sahara desert in north-central Niger. It was founded in 1430 by the Tuareg and Hausa people as a trading post. The Agadez Sultanate was later conquered by the Songhai Empire in 1500.[1] After the defeat of the Songhai kingdom in 1591, the Agadez Sultanate regained its independence. It experienced a steep decline in population and economic activity during the 17th century. The sultanate came under French suzerainty in 1906.

History

According to oral tradition of the tribes of Kel Ferwan, Kel Owi and Itesen, the Sultanate was established because there had long been destructive clashes between the tribes. Because of this, the tribes sent an envoy to Constantinople to find a capable leader for the tribes. An article from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism about the renovation of Sultan Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou's guest room from 2018 states, that the Sultan sent from the Ottoman Empire was Yunus, one of the sons of the Sultan from an unnamed African woman out of his harem.[3]

Originally, the seat of the Sultanate was Tadaliza, which is now an archaeological site in the Air Mountains. Sultan Ilisawan (1430-1449) settled in Agadez and built a palace there, proclaiming it as the capital of the Sultanate in 1430.

In the 18th century, Tuareg confederacies from the north migrated south into the Air region, which led to unrest between the existing Tuareg confederacies in the Air region. By the end of the century, the Kel Geres were pushed south after being outnumbered by the Kel Owey.

German explorer Heinrich Barth visited Agadez in 1850 and described it as a ghost town, which was confirmed by French explorer Amédée-François Lamy at the time of his expedition.

The Sultanate fell under French administration in 1906.

At the time of the Kaocen Revolt, Sultan Tegama awaited the arrival of Kaocen, and after he was defeated by the French, the Sultan and many other conspirators fled the region. In 1917, the Sultan who had preceded Sultan Tegama was recalled by the French to Agadez to act as a mediator between the French administration and the people. [4]

List of Sultans

[5]

Tenure Incumbent Notes
1687 - 1721Muhammad Agg-Abba ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak 
1721Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (1st time) 
1721al-Wali ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak 
1721Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (2nd time) 
1721Muhammad al-Mu´min 
1721 - 1722`Uthman ibn Muhammad al-Mu´min 
1722 - 1735Muhammad Agg-`A´isha ibn Muhammad Agg-Abba 
1735 - 1739Muhammad Humad ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (1st time) 
1739 - 1744Muhammad Guma ibn al-`Adil 
1744 - 1759Muhammad Humad ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (2nd time) 
1759 - 1763Muhammad Guma ibn `Uthman 
1763 - 1768Muhammad Humad ibn Muhammad al-Mubarak (3rd time) 
1768 - 1810Muhammad al-`Adil ibn Muhammad Humad 
1810 - 1815Muhammad ad-Dani 
1815 - 1816Muhammad al-Baqiri 
1816 - 1821Muhammad Guma "Tabdali" (1st time) 
1821 - 1828Ibrahim Waffa 
1828 - 1835Muhammad Guma "Tabdali" (2nd time) 
1835 - 1853`Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Baqiri 
1853 - ....Ahmad ar-Raffa` ibn Muhammad Guma (1st time) 
.... - ....Muhammad al-Baqiri "Sufu" (1st time) 
.... - ....Ahmad ar-Raffa` ibn Muhammad Guma (2nd time) 
.... - ....Muhammad al-Baqiri "Sufu" (2nd time) 
.... - ....Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi ibn Ahmad ar-Raffa` (1st time) 
.... - 1903Muhammad al-Baqiri "Sufu" (3rd time) 
1903 - 1 Aug 1907`Uthman Mikitan ibn Abd al-Qadir 
1 Aug 1907 - 1908Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi ibn Ahmad ar-Raffa` (2nd time) 
1908 - 1917`Abd ar-Rahman Taghama ibn Muhammad al-Baqiri 
c.Mar 1917 - Apr 1917Jatawa 
6 May 1917 - Nov 1919Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi ibn Ahmad ar-Raffa` (3rd time) (dismissed by the French) 
Nov 1919 - 13 May 1920Vacant 
13 May 1920 - 1 Jan 1960`Umaru Agg-Ibrahim 
1 Jan 1960 - 21 Feb 2012Ibrahim ibn `Umaru (b. 1938 - d. 2012) 
21 Feb 2012 - Dec 2016`Umaru Ibrahim `Umaru 
23 Dec 2016 -Ibrahim Tsofo 



References

  1. 1 2 James B. Minahan (2016). Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups around the World, 2nd Edition. ABC-CLIO. p. 418. ISBN 978-1-61069-954-9.
  2. ↑ "Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Air" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 442–443).
  3. ↑ [sultanate_of_agadez_revives_legacy_of_ottoman_empire_with_the_support_of_tika "Sultanate of Agadez Revives Legacy of Ottoman Empire with the Support of TİKA"]. Retrieved 21 July 2023. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  4. ↑ Geels, Jolijn, (2006) Bradt Travel Guide - Niger, pg. 161-163
  5. ↑ Caravans of the Old Sahara: An Introduction to the History of the Western Sudan

Further reading

  • Decalo, Samuel. Historical Dictionary of Niger, 3rd ed., pp. 24–27. Scarecrow Press (Boston), 1997. ISBN 0-8108-3136-8.
  • Hudgens, Jim & al. Rough Guide to West Africa, 4th ed., p. 983. Rough Guide, 2003. ISBN 1-84353-118-6.

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