Sokoto Caliphate

E59895

The Sokoto Caliphate was a powerful 19th-century Islamic empire in West Africa that became a major center of Islamic learning, governance, and trade.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Sokoto Sultanate 1
Sultanate of Sokoto 1

Statements (69)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Caliphate
Islamic empire
Pre-colonial African state
administrativeStructure Network of semi-autonomous emirates
alternativeName Sokoto Caliphate
surface form: Sokoto Sultanate

Sokoto Caliphate
surface form: Sultanate of Sokoto
areaOfInfluence Present-day Burkina Faso
Present-day Cameroon
Present-day Chad
Republic of Niger
surface form: Present-day Niger

Present-day northern Nigeria
associatedDynasty Fulani
capital Sokoto
commonLanguage Fulfulde
Hausa
conflict Fulani Jihad
Sokoto Jihad
conqueredBy British Empire
continent Africa
currency Barter
Cowrie shells
Gold
dissolved 1903
economicBase Agriculture
Slave labor
Trans-Saharan trade routes
surface form: Trans-Saharan trade
educationFocus Islamic jurisprudence
Quranic studies
endTime 1903
era 19th century
establishedBy Fulani Jihad
event British conquest of Sokoto in 1903
followedBy Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
surface form: British Nigeria

Northern Nigeria
surface form: Northern Nigeria Protectorate
foundedBy Usman dan Fodio
founder Usman dan Fodio
governmentType Islamic theocracy
Monarchy
hasPart Adamawa State
surface form: Adamawa Emirate

Bauchi Emirate
Gwandu Emirate
Hadejia Emirate
Kano Emirate (pre-jihad Hausa state)
surface form: Kano Emirate

Katsina Emirate
Zaria Emirate
influenced Later Islamic reform movements in West Africa
intellectualTradition Maliki jurisprudence
Qadiriyya Sufi tradition
surface form: Qadiriyya Sufism
knownFor Center of Islamic learning
Extensive trade networks
Qadiriyya Sufi order influence
System of emirates
legalSystem Islamic law
legislativeBasis Sharia
locatedIn West Africa
notableLeader Abdullahi dan Fodio
Aliyu Babba
Muhammad Bello
Usman dan Fodio
officialLanguage Arabic
precededBy Gobir
Zazzau Emirate
surface form: Hausa city-states

Kano Emirate (pre-jihad Hausa state)
religion Islam
Sunni Islam
religiousMovement Reformist jihad
spiritualCenter Sokoto
startTime 1804
titleOfRuler Sultan of Sokoto

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Sokoto Caliphate alternativeName Sokoto Caliphate
this entity surface form: Sokoto Sultanate
Sokoto Caliphate alternativeName Sokoto Caliphate
this entity surface form: Sultanate of Sokoto
Nana Asma’u countryOfActivity Sokoto Caliphate
Usman dan Fodio countryOfCitizenship Sokoto Caliphate
Usman dan Fodio deathPlace Sokoto Caliphate
Sokoto formerCapitalOf Sokoto Caliphate
Usman dan Fodio founded Sokoto Caliphate
Northern Nigeria hasHistoricalEntity Sokoto Caliphate
Ilorin historicalAffiliation Sokoto Caliphate
Kebbi State historicalAffiliation Sokoto Caliphate
Sokoto State historicalEntityPrecededBy Sokoto Caliphate
Hausa-Fulani historicallyLinkedTo Sokoto Caliphate
Katsina Emirate influencedBy Sokoto Caliphate