Mai Idris-Alloma of Kanem-Bornu

[CivArmy s. 1994]

Civilization: Kanem-Bornu
Bonuses: Commercial and Militaristic
Title and leader: Mai Idris-Alloma
Best/shunned government: Fascism (Monarchy) and Democracy
Aggression: 05 (much high)
Cultural group: Mid East
Noun: Kanuri-Bornu
Adjective: Kanuri-Bornu
Colors: Black (Zulu) and Brow (Russia)
UU: Tunisian Musketeer
Civilopedia entry: RACE_KANEM-BORNU

Cities:
Manan
Njima
Ngazargamu
Bornu
N’Djaména
Yaounde
Niamey
Mao
Abeche
Koro Toro
Fada
Faya
Aozou
Sarh
Moundou
Kribi
Douala
Tiko
Nkongsamba
Bafoussam
Bamenda
Ngaoundéré
Garoua
Maroua
Birni Ngaouré
Tillabéri
Ayorou
Tabia
Loga
Tahoua
Madaoua
Abalak
Maradi
Tessaoua
Magaria
Zinder
Gouré
Tanout
Agadez
Arlit
Diffa
Maïne Soroa
Agadem
Bilma
Djado
Madama


Military leaders:
Dunama Dibbalemi
Mahamad Al-Kanemi
Omar Al-Kanemi
Rabah Fadlallah

Scientific ones:
Ali Gaji
Ibrahim
Umar ibn Idris

Civilopedia:

Tunisian Musketeer, the UU:
Replaces Musketman, has two extra offensive points and cost 10 shields more. This unit was used to fight against other nations that were under Kanuri-Bornu control. This domination turned possible happen the slavery commerce between Europe and this African Empire.

Icon

Attack

Death

Default

Run

Victory

Fortify

 

[Mongoloid Cow]

Is the first picture guy supposed to have what looks like snow in the background? Other than that, looking nice

 

[Plotinus]

Hey - I'm doing a scenario with the Kanem-Bornu and I've made their UU a musketeer as well. Great minds clearly think alike!

This is a good LH. I especially like the medieval outfit. However, the skin tone really needs to be darker. At the moment he looks rather Middle Eastern, but the Kanem-Bornu were black - they were from modern-day Chad, remember.

Here's a picture of some heralds of the Kanem-Bornu Mai in the nineteenth century:

And this is the current president of Chad, Idriss Déby:

 

[CivArmy s. 1994]

Is the first picture guy supposed to have what looks like snow in the background? Other than that, looking nice

snow? no The position of the sun turn the water white, for this reason it maybe look like snow, I'll try change the sun position to change tje water color

Plotius: I'll do the face more darker, no problem BTW, did u know these kind of cavalry is another military unit of this empire?

 

[Plotinus]

Yes, the empire's power was built mainly on cavalry, as I understand it - they swept through the plains of central sub-Saharan Africa, bringing the message of the Prophet at the point of a spear! But it was gunpowder that really consolidated Kanem-Bornu rule and enabled them to maintain a huge empire for centuries.

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

Where is this civ located in Africa?

 

[Plotinus]

[SOG] It was based in what is now Chad. For your delectation, here's a pedia entry I did a while ago for them. Civ Army can add this to the LH if he likes (although notice that I'm treating Dunama Dibbalemi as the main leader, rather than Alooma).

#RACE_KANEM
^
^
^The Kanem-Bornu empire had its origins in two distinct states - Kanem, east of Lake Chad, and Bornu, west of it.
Both of these arose out of the ruins of the earlier Zaghawa kingdom,
a Berber state which had flourished in the region until the mid-fourteenth century,
when it entered a long and painful decline.
^
^This coincided with the rise to prominence of Kanem, which was populated by a group of tribes called the Kanuri,
who quickly came to monopolise trade in the area.
By the thirteenth century, Kanem was dominating Bornu, across the lake,
and by the end of the century they had to all intents and purposes merged to form the Kanem-Bornu empire,
under the first king - or Mai - of the united empire, {Dunama Dibbalemi.}
^
^Dibbalemi was not the first of the Kanuri to convert to Islam,
but he was the first to attempt to place society on Muslim principles,
and he led his people on jihad or holy war against the infidels who surrounded them.
They conquered an enormous area, covering much of the Sahara in what is now Libya,
and also dominating many of the Hausa tribes in the north of what is now Nigeria.
^
^The empire was, however, troubled by internal divisions.
Many people in the eastern part of the empire opposed the way it was run,
and these people, known as the "Balula", rose in revolt, causing something of an exodus on the part of everyone else.
People streamed out of the Kanem area and migrated over the lake to what had been Bornu.
Mai Umar ibn Idris, who ruled from 1382 to 1387, oversaw the migration,
essentially shifting the whole governmental and economic centre of the empire.
In doing so he brought the Kanuri into increased conflict with the Sao people,
who lived in this area annd fought bitterly against the invaders -
who were still under attack from the Balula, who had no scruples about crossing the lake and harassing the Kanuri.
After this time the empire is sometimes called simply the Bornu empire, since the eastern half had been lost;
the people who composed it, however, were Kanuri.
#DESC_RACE_KANEM
^
^
^This great migration and shift saw the empire undergo major changes. Previously, the people had been largely nomadic,
with a relatively decentralised power base. Now things were more centralised, and the empire became more urban-based.
Being more unified, the empire was able to start a series of wars against neighbouring peoples,
to conquer their lands and steal their wealth.
A key figure in this process was Mai Ali Gaji, who ruled from 1497 to 1515
and stamped his authority over the empire, ending its internal divisions.
Under his leadership, Kanuri forces recaptured Kanem and the old capital, Njimi,
but he also established a new capital in the Bornu region, Birni Ngazargamu.
This reinvigoration of Kanem-Bornu coincided with the peak of Songhai, the great empire to the west,
and as Songhai began to dwindle throughout the sixteenth century, so Kanem-Bornu expanded.
In so doing it largely swallowed up the Hausa states immediately to the west,
which had been essentially client states of Kanem-Bornu for some time anyway.
^
^The empire reached its greatest extent under Mai Idris Aluma, who ruled from 1580 to 1603.
Like Dunama Dibbalemi, Aluma was a devout Muslim,
and keen to extend the faith of the Prophet over as much of north and central Africa as he could.
This he did with the aid of muskets bought from the Ottomans.
^
^Later in the seventeenth century, however, the empire began to wane. Famine hit the people,
and the Tuaregs increasingly harassed the borders.
The Fulani empire invaded several times in the early nineteenth century,
leaving Kanem-Bornu in a state of political flux, and split into a number of smaller provinces.
The empire had effectively ceased to exist - but in 1824 the Fulani were expelled,
and Kanem-Bornu reunited for a sort of Indian summer.
In 1893, the Sudanese general Rabih al-Zubayr ibn Fald Allah invaded and conquered the whole empire,
incorporating it together wih the Fulani realm into a vast empire of his own -
which lasted for only seven years, being later divided between the British and the French governments.

 

[CivArmy s. 1994]

@Plotinus: thanks for the civilopedia entry I think the two most important think to say about this empire are it was one of the biggest responsable to capture enemies in Africa and sell their as slaves to Europeans and it was one of the last African empires to fall down in the Age of Imperislism. It was necessary France, Germany, other Europeans and other African nations join forces to defeat Kanem-Bornu.

@Sword of Geddom: this is a map with more or less empire extension

@all: new artworks in post number 1 (as usual). I have arrived in a boring and repetitive stage in Civilization Fighter game construction, I'm having a little brake there, for this reason I back to Civ3

 

[Plotinus]

I think all the ages are excellent apart from the first, which I'm a bit dubious about - he looks more Caribbean or South American than African, somehow. I don't know much about Lake Chad but I don't think it's known for having palms growing around it. Also, did the ancient sub-Saharans really paint their faces grey like that? It looks rather like he has an odd skin disease. And I'm afraid I'm not sure about the hair either - I'm sure it's hard to do authentically black hair but he looks like he's dumped some dark clay on top of his head! Perhaps some kind of hat might avoid the problem - or you could make him bald, of course. An alternative costume idea might be to give him a dark blue robe of some kind. The people of northern Nigeria and western Chad (ie, much of what was incorporated into Kanem-Bornu) were known for indigo dyeing in ancient times. In fact they are still known for this even today, and the Tuareg people of the Sahara itself are often seen in blue and white check. So it might be nice to reflect this in the outfit. In medieval sub-Saharan Africa, dark blue garments were almost like purple ones in the ancient Mediterranean world - a sign of power and wealth.

I only criticise because I think the other ages are really good. The Industrial one looks magnificent!

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

The Medieval era's my favourite. The chant "Where did you get that hat? Where did you get that hat?" (popular where I was brought up....) comes to mind - I really like the Medieval headgear.

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

Civ: So basically the same area as the Mali/Songhai...darn..that could complicate things for Far Horizons. I'll keep this guy and his civ in mind for future projects however(I might make an Africa-only version of my mod in the future as an expansion) thanks for the map though.

 

[Plotinus]

Not quite the same area, really - immediately to the east of Songhai. But there's some overlap as Kanem-Bornu essentially had its golden age as Songhai was waning.

The scenario I'm working on right now has all of Ghana, Mali, Songhai and Kanem-Bornu (and I've stuck the Hausa states between Songhai and Kanem-Bornu too - the Hausa states were dominated by Kanem-Bornu). Plus a few others too! So it was a very pleasant surprise to see Civ Army working on this LH - right now I have medieval Shaka running Kanem-Bornu, and he's really not right.

 

[CivArmy s. 1994]

I posted new artworks of the 1st era fallowing the Plotinus tips I think it is good the Palmtree, cos these civis in Africa always look for oasis, where these Palmtrees are.
I'm going to do the UU, in mintues I can post it to download

 

[Plotinus]

I really like it now. Great stuff!

 

[CivArmy s. 1994]

Thanks Plotius... BTW, if someone wants the UU click in http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/TunisianMusketeer.zip

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

Currently, the African Civs include:

1. Zululand
2. Congo(Rita Poon)
3. South Africa(Civarmy your Mandelia is incredible )
4. Ethiopia/Abyssians(Sween and Civarmy)
5. Basutoland(R8XFT)
6. Sojournor Truth's civ(R8XFT )
7. That other female leader's civ( R8XFT )
8. Africaners(R8XFT)

and now Kanem-Bornu

Kenya is the last classic African civ that hasn't been made(This isn't a request btw)

 

[Plotinus]

R8XFT also made Ghana and Mali, remember. I'm sure there are other important African civs we could think of that aren't represented, though - Makuria springs to mind, as does Adal.

 

[CivArmy s. 1994]

Actily I did Afrikaners. And Firaxis also did Egypt and Catharge too.

For the units I did these ones from Africa:
- Ethiopan Archer
- Angolan Rifleman
- Afrikaner Cavalry
- The Brazilian Capoeira also could fit for African civis.

The links in my home page www.geocities.com/Civ_Army_1994

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

Sorry...darn...you guys have made so many leaderheads that it gets confusing sometimes

 

[CivArmy s. 1994]

City list:
Just the 4 first cities r real Kanem-Bornu cities, the other ones are cities of present Chade, Camaroon and Niger (not Nigeria). I can't find more ones.
- Does anyone have any other real city of Kanem-Bornu empire?
- Is there any suggestion to add any missing city or change the order?

Manan
Njima
Ngazargamu
Bornu
N’Djaména
Yaounde
Niamey
Mao
Abeche
Koro Toro
Fada
Faya
Aozou
Sarh
Moundou
Kribi
Douala
Tiko
Nkongsamba
Bafoussam
Bamenda
Ngaoundéré
Garoua
Maroua
Birni Ngaouré
Tillabéri
Ayorou
Tabia
Loga
Tahoua
Madaoua
Abalak
Maradi
Tessaoua
Magaria
Zinder
Gouré
Tanout
Agadez
Arlit
Diffa
Maïne Soroa
Agadem
Bilma
Djado
Madama