Say

Say sits on the right bank of the Niger southwest of Niamey and was a small Songhai town until, in the nineteenth century, a Fulani scholar settled here and made it one of the more important centres of Islamic learning in the western Sudan with a tradition of teaching that continues. The Grand Mosque stands above the river and the town keeps a quieter character than the capital an hour upstream. That scholar, Alfa Mohamed Diobo, came from further west, and the town grew around his teaching circle and the emirate he established.

History

Say was part of the Songhay Empire, and after the empire fell some of its people settled in the area; in the 19th century the Fulani marabout Alfa Mohamed Diobo made the small Songhai town a centre of Islamic learning and founded the Emirate of Say. Niger's first madrasa was set up here in 1957, and in 1974 the Organization of the Islamic Conference chose Say as the site for an Islamic university (Wikipedia, Say, Niger).

What to look for

• The Grand Mosque - the main building standing above the river.
• The scholarly tradition - a centre of Islamic learning since the 1800s.
• The river bank - the Niger running past the town.
• The scholar's town - a Songhai town remade by a Fulani scholar.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. The river is highest around January and February. The rains fall June to September.

Before you go

There is little arranged for visitors and the town is workaday. Mosque access for non-Muslims is not generally given. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Niamey is northeast, and W National Park is south.

Key facts