Sultanate of Agadez
Tenere Sultanate of Aïr | |||||||||||||||
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Rough location of the Sultanate | |||||||||||||||
| Status | State from 1405-1500 1591-1906 Currently a non-sovereign monarchy within Niger | ||||||||||||||
| Capital | Agadez | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Tamajeq, Arabic, Hausa | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Sultanate | ||||||||||||||
| Amenukal | |||||||||||||||
• 1405-? | Yunus | ||||||||||||||
• 2016-present | Ibrahim Tsofo | ||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||
• Establishment of the Sultanate | 1405 | ||||||||||||||
• Conquered by Songhai | 1500 | ||||||||||||||
• Fall of the Songhai Empire | 1591 | ||||||||||||||
• Incorporated into French West Africa | 1906 | ||||||||||||||
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The Sultanate of Agadez (also known as Tenere Sultanate of Aïr, Sultanate of Aïr, or Asben) was a Berber kingdom centered first in the city of Agadez (initially, in the village of Tadaliza) in the Aïr Mountains, located at the southern edge of the Sahara desert in north-central Niger. It was founded in 1405 by the Tuareg. The Agadez Sultanate was later conquered by the Songhai Empire in 1500. 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. In the present day it is a non-sovereign monarchy in Niger.