Dunama I

Muhammed Dunama bin Hummay I (1092-1150) was the king of the Kanem–Bornu Empire and a member of the Sayfawa dynasty. He was born to Hummay and a Toubou wife and succeeded his father as king in 1097 when Hummay died in Egypt on the hajj.^[1]^[2] Dunama made the pilgrimage twice in his own right, each time leaving 300 slaves in Egypt as gifts for his hosts.^[3] He was succeeded by his son, Bir I of Kanem.^[2]

All Sayfawa dynasty kings named Muhammad are also called Dunama (and vice versa). The name likely came from a compound of Dun ("power" or "might" in Kanuri) and Aman (i.e, Ammon) the Berber god, according to historian H.R. Palmer.^[4]^: 126

References

^ Page, Willie F. (2005). Davis, R. Hunt (ed.). Encyclopedia of African History and Culture (Illustrated, revised ed.). Facts On File. p. 231.
^ ^a ^b Niane, Djibril Tamsir, ed. (1984). General history of Africa, IV: Africa from the twelfth to the sixteenth century. University of California. p. 244. ISBN 978-92-3-101710-0. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
^ Green, Toby (2020). A Fistful of Shells. UK: Penguin Books. p. 43.
^ Palmer, H.R. (1926). History Of The First Twelve Years Of The Reign Of Mai Idris Alooma Of Bornu ( 1571 1583) ( Fartua, Ahmed Ibn).

References

Further reading