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Ségou
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Ségou

African kingdom
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Ségou was the first capital of the Bambara kingdom, a West African state that flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Bambara states, including the one centered in Ségou, were located between the Sénégal and Niger rivers in present-day Mali. The kingdom was founded by brothers Barama Ngolo and Nia Ngolo before 1650. Under Mamari Kulibali, known as "the Commander," the empire expanded significantly by the mid-18th century. However, the Bambara kingdom collapsed in 1861 when al-Hajj Umar, a Tukulor jihad leader, conquered Ségou. Ségou has historically been an important trading center and remains so today, with significant agricultural activity supported by an extensive irrigation system.123

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Ségou
  2. Bambara states
  3. history of Mali - Mali in the 19th century

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