Namandirou | |
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![]() Namandirou (Njarmeew), within the Jolof Empire | |
Capital | Sare |
Religion | Traditional African religion, Islam |
Government | Monarchy |
Bëlëp | |
• early 16th century | Wali Mberu Mbacke |
Today part of | Senegal |
History of Senegal |
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Namandirou (also spelled Nammandiru), also known as Njarmeew or Geremeo, was a kingdom in what is now eastern Senegal.
The name 'Namandirou' means 'country of abundance'. [1] It is the more ancient name, while 'Njarmeew' or 'Geremeo' was the name commonly used in the 15-16th centuries. [2]
The early history of Namandirou is murky. Oumar Kane, citing oral histories, proposes that the Jaaogo dynasty of Takrur originated there, ruling until roughly 1000CE. [3] After the conquest of Takrur by the Soninke Manna dynasty, Namandirou became their vassal, and was devastated by the Almoravids between 1072 and 1087. [2] Rokhaya Fall argues that it was likely a part of the Kingdom of Wuli during a period when Wuli controlled the entire area between the Ferlo desert and the Faleme river. [1]
In the 13th century, Namandirou reappeared under the name Njarmeew, ruled by the Wolof Ndaw family who had originated north of the Senegal river. [2]
In approximately 1460 (according to Portuguese writer Andre Donelha), Namandirou was invaded by the Jolof Buurba, Tyukuli N'Diklam, although some scholars argue that another Buurba, Birayma N'dyeme Eler, [4] was responsible. After a long war, the Bëlëp (also Ber-lab, or king) of Namandirou was killed in a pitched battle, and the kingdom was conquered and given to a member of the royal family as a fief. [5] [2] [6] Yoro Dyao records that, in the early 16th century, Koli Tengella defeated Ber-lab Wali Mberu Mbacke and drove the remaining population out, but he may be conflating Koli's attack on the eastern Jolof Empire with the destruction of the independent kingdom half a century earlier. [7] This attack, among other things, helped weaken Jolof and set the stage for its disintegration at the Battle of Danki. [8]