In the eleventh century Silla was a kingdom in its own right: a twin town astride the Senegal, Muslim since the time of War Jabi of Takrur, whose king fought the unbelievers of Qalanbu and whose realm, al-Bakri says, almost rivalled Ghana's.
Its people used sorghum, salt, copper rings and fine cotton cloths as money and kept many cattle. By 1154 al-Idrisi places Silla in the dominion of the king of Takrur: still a busy market on the north bank where the peoples of the Sudan met, but no longer a separate power. No source between 1154 and the fourteenth century mentions it. On the evidence, Silla on 1 January 1200 is a town and district of Takrur, perhaps under a dependent ruler of its own; its ground is drawn as Takrur's, and this record carries the history and the alternative.
Who rules
- Name
- Not known. No king of Silla is named in any source; whether Silla had its own king under Takrur, or a governor of the king of Takrur, in 1200 is not known
- Title
- King of Silla (al-Bakri, 1068); by 1154 Silla is 'in the dominion of the Takruri' (al-Idrisi)
- Since
- Not known
- Family
- Not known
- Confidence
- low
Al-Bakri (1068) describes Silla as two towns on both banks of the river, converted to Islam in War Jabi's time, its king waging holy war against the unbelievers of Qalanbu a day away, its kingdom extensive and populous, nearly rivalling Ghana. Al-Idrisi (1154) describes Silla as a populous town on the north bank, a meeting place and market of the Sudan, whose people are vigorous, and places it in the dominion of the Takruri. Nothing later bears on 1200 until Ibn Khaldun lists Silla among the lands of Mali in the fourteenth century.
Overlord
The king of Takrur (al-Idrisi, 1154); not pinned for 1200, but nothing suggests a change.
What the realm holds
- The town of Silla on the river (site not known: see Silla) and its district
- In 1068, an extensive and populous kingdom (al-Bakri); its extent then is not known
How it was acquired
Its people were converted in War Jabi's time (al-Bakri; Wikipedia says War Jabi subjugated Silla's king). Wikipedia's Silla article says Wagadu asked the Almoravids for help against Silla in the 1080s (we could not confirm the source of this). By 1154 it is in Takrur's dominion (al-Idrisi).
Allies and rivals
Not recorded for 1200. Historically: the king of Takrur (overlord by 1154); the unbelievers of Qalanbu (enemies in 1068); Ghana (rival in the eleventh and twelfth centuries in the Wikipedia account).
The realm that morning
A town and district of the kingdom of Takrur so far as the evidence goes; no separate king of Silla is attested after 1068. No ground is coloured as a separate Silla on this map; the anchors put its candidate sites under takrur. If the campaign prefers a dependent kingdom of Silla under Takrur, the candidate districts are near Kaedi (north bank), round Sintiou Bara near Matam (south bank), or near the meeting of the Senegal and the Faleme.
Threats
- Whatever threatens Takrur; raids from the desert to the north, since Silla stood on the north bank
Where the sources disagree
- English Wikipedia (Takrur) says that in the twelfth century Silla, a vassal of Takrur, went to war against Wagadu; the Silla article puts that war in the 1080s with Almoravid help for Wagadu. We could not trace either claim to a primary source; neither is dated close to 1200.
- The site is disputed: Sinthiou Bara (Matam region), the village of Silla near Kaedi, or a site nearer the Senegal-Faleme confluence (Wikipedia: Silla, citing Y. Fall 1982 and A. Bathily 1989). Al-Idrisi's two days' distance from Takrur and his north-bank placing fit the Kaedi candidate best if Takrur stood on the Ile a Morphil; this is our reading, not a finding.
Evidence: Two Arabic descriptions (al-Bakri 1068, al-Idrisi 1154); no named king; site not identified.
On the map: No separate ground: Silla is drawn inside Takrur. Its town is a point (Silla).
Sources and studies
- al-Bakri (1068) and al-Idrisi (1154) on Silla, in Levtzion and Hopkins, Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History, pp. 77-78 and 106-107 (from the researcher's knowledge of the translation)
- Wikipedia: Silla (Senegal River Valley)
- Wikipedia: Takrur
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.