# Agadez falls under Songhai (1515)

URL: https://allhistories.com/nigeria/timeline/1515-agadez-falls-under-songhai
Location: Agadez, Aïr (present Niger)
Themes: main-event

Agadez, the Tuareg sultanate in the Aïr mountains founded as a sultanate in 1449, was ruled by Songhai from 1515 to 1591. The city sat on the great caravan route between the Sahara and Hausaland, so control of it affected the supply of salt, copper and slaves to Kano and Katsina. Songhai rule ended with the Moroccan invasion of 1591, after which Agadez recovered its independence but slid into internal conflict. Around 1715 Agadez joined Gobir and Zamfara against Kebbi. Tuareg raiding and trade shaped Hausaland's northern frontier throughout the centuries covered here. At the date of this event the principal authority over the largest part of present-day Nigeria lay with Idris III Katagarmabe, Mai of Kanem-Bornu (1503–1525). Agadez links Nigeria's Hausa states to the Sahara; its fortunes governed the trade routes that fed Kano's markets.

## Why it matters
A caravan hub north of Hausaland passed under Songhai control.

Ruler at the Time: [Idris III Katagarmabe](https://allhistories.com/nigeria/rulers/idris-iii-katagarmabe)

## Sources
- [Agadez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agadez)
- [Songhai Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songhai_Empire)
- [Gobir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobir)