Chronicles of Songhay Empire's Askyas (Kings) 1493-1599
Gao (Gawgaw, Kawkaw)
Title
The drum of authority is sounded for the new askia
Short description
The drum of authority is sounded to sanction the enthronement of the new askia.
Text on source
فنزل ونزل اصحابه وحينئذ تفطّن الجيش بموت اسكي محمد بان وحضروا جميعاً وضربوا الطبل على اسحاق وامّروه وتسلطن وحملوا له التراب على رؤوسهم وجاءوا بالمصحف وحلفوا له به بان لا غدر ولا غشّ ولا خدع [ص. ١٣٤]
English translation
He therefore descended from horse, as did his companions. It was not until this very moment that the army learned of the death of the Askia Muḥammad-Bāni. Everyone gathered, as the royal drum [ṭabl] was beaten for of Isḥāq, then they obeyed him and he took authority. They covered their heads with sand [to render him homage],the sacred book was brought out, and they swore to him on it that they would not betray him, nor break their vows to him, nor deceive him.
Folios/Pages
244
Date
1588
Observations on the events description
Drums were distinguished in different type and used accordingly in different contexts (e.g. royal, military, etc.). The mentioned percussion is called just "drum" [ṭabl] but the context suggests it was the "royal drum".
The dots on the map indicate the places where sound and music events were described. They don't represent travel stages.
Participants
Name
Role
Notes
Edit
Delete
II, Isḥāq
Actor
Askia (King)
How to quote
Pintimalli A., "The drum of authority is sounded for the new askia" (Event description), Echos. Sound Ecosystems in Travelogues. Published 2024 09 11.doi: 10.25430/echos.travels.137
This work is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 
