Sunni Ali << SUN ee AHL ee >> (? -1492) ruled the Songhai Empire in western Africa from 1464 to 1492. Under his rule, the Songhai Empire began to take over the Mali Empire about 1464. Sunni Ali developed the Songhai Empire into the most powerful state in the western Sahel, a dry grassland region south of the Sahara. He conquered many neighboring countries. He captured the trade center Timbuktu in 1468 and threw out the Tuareg people who had held the city since 1433. About 1475, he conquered Djénné, another center of trade.
Sunni Ali established law and order in the Songhai Empire and encouraged trade. He died while returning from a military expedition in 1492. Historians think he may have been assassinated.
See also Songhai Empire.
