The Sultanate of Agadez (also known as Tenere Sultanate of Aïr, Sultanate of Aïr, or Asben") was a

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

kingdom centered first in the city of

Agadez Agadez ( Air Tamajeq: ⴰⴶⴰⴷⴰⵣ, ''Agadaz''), formerly spelled Agadès, is the fifth largest city in Niger, with a population of 110,497 based on the 2012 census. The capital of the eponymous Agadez Region, the city lies in the Sahara ...

(initially, in the village of Tadaliza) in the

Aïr Mountains The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif (Air Tamajeq language, Tamajăq: ''Ayǝr''; Hausa language, Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Sa ...

, located at the southern edge of the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

desert in north-central

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

. It was founded in 1405 by the

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...

. The Agadez Sultanate was later conquered by the

Songhai Empire The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its lar ...

in 1500. After the defeat of the Songhai kingdom in 1591, the Agadez Sultanate regained its independence. It experienced a steep decline in population and economic activity during the 17th century. The sultanate came under

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

suzerainty in 1906. In the present day it is a

non-sovereign monarchy A non-sovereign monarchy, subnational monarchy or constituent monarchy is one in which the head of the Monarchy, monarchical polity (whether a geographic territory or an ethnic group), and the polity itself, are subject to a temporal authority h ...

History

There are various accounts on the origins of the sultanate, dependent on the relationships among the drum-groups (descent-based clans) and confederations. Most

traditions A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common exa ...

agree on there being a crisis among the Tuareg in the 14th century. The Itesen were the most powerful group, however their leader was not recognised by other groups. Oral history of the Aïr describes the foundation of the sultanate around 1405 by local Tuareg tribes seeking an inter-tribal organisation for mediation between different clans to settle disputes. For this, the first Sultan, Yunǝs or Yunus, was chosen for being the son of a distant Tuareg from

Targa Targa or TARGA may refer to: Car racing events *Targa Adelaide, in Australia * Targa Canada West, in British Columbia *Targa Florio, in Sicily, Italy, 1906–1977 * Targa Florio Rally, in Sicily, Italy, from 1978 * Targa High Country, in Victoria ...

(Libya) and a local '' taklit'' or female slave, which made him politically neutral between the factions (''Iṣandalăn'', ''Itesăn'', ''Ilisăwăn'' and ''Ibǝrkorăyăn'') involved in the founding. From then on, every Sultan had to be married to a ''taklit'', as to prevent tribal rivalries. Yunǝs' successor and ''tegăze'' (nephew by his sister) Ălxăsăn (or Akkasan) transferred the seat of the Sultanate to the then recently (1413) founded

, inhabited by ''Kel Gubǝr'', ''Ibǝrkorăyăn'' and '' Igdalăn'' Tuareg, as well as Katsināwa

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

merchants, who established the first

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

dyeing facilities. Every tribe had a district or quarter in the city where ''idǝrfan'' (

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

) resided, although the tribes only visited occasionally since they retained their nomadic lifestyle. Originally, the seat of the Sultanate was Tadaliza, and then

Tin Chaman Tin is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin ma ...

, which are now archaeological sites in the

Air Mountains An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

. Traditions state that the first sultan to be seated down in Agadez was Sultan Yusuf, who had moved there seeking more security following conflict with other groups. This occurred amidst various developments in the region in the 15th century, as the

Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to: * Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa * Borno State, Nigeria {{disambig