List of mais of Kanem–Bornu

The mai was the monarch of the Kanem–Bornu Empire from the foundation of the empire in the 8th century to the abolition of the office in the mid-19th century. From the conversion to Islam in the 11th century and onwards, the mai sometimes adopted additional titles, such as emir, sultan, or caliph. The last mai, Ali V Minargema, was killed in 1846, whereafter the empire was ruled by the shehus.
Records of the mais generally distinguish between an earlier Duguwa dynasty and a later Sayfawa dynasty but it is unclear whether this distinction is rooted in an actual change in royal lineage or the result of some other factor. The line of rulers is reconstructed by scholars through orally recited sources such as the girgam, surviving literary sources, and contemporary sources from other parts of the Islamic world.

Native sources

In the Kanem–Bornu Empire, keeping records of the royal lineage was the task of specialists, usually part of the royal court and in service of the mai. Records were passed down both through documents, written in Arabic by court scribes, and in the form of oral history. The history of the mais was referred to as the diwan in its written form and as the girgam in its orally recited form. Girgam is also commonly used as a name for both versions. Another type of important source document are mahrams, grants given by mais to their officials and subjects.
The empire was a literate society by the 12th century at the latest but surviving native literary sources are very limited in number and no known intact documents predate the 16th century. Now lost early documents include a 1392 letter from the mai of Bornu to sultan Barquq of Egypt recorded in Arab sources and a 16th-century narrative history of the reign of mai Idris III Katagarmabe by the Kanuri author Masfarma Omar ben Othman. A surviving document from the 16th century is the works of Ibn Furtu, the Grand Imam of Bornu, which detail the reign of mai Idris IV Alooma and some earlier imperial history. Limited information on Kanem–Bornu history can also be derived from contemporary Arab and North African historians, such as Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi, Ibn Battuta, Ibn Khaldun, al-Maqrizi, and Leo Africanus.

Modern scholarship

The earliest European scholar to produce a list of Kanem–Bornu rulers was the German explorer Heinrich Barth, who visited Bornu in the early 1850s. Barth's main source was a diwan which chronicled the entire history of the empire. According to Barth this was an abridged document, though he was unable to find the original larger work. Barth compared his diwan with two additional shorter diwans, as well as other works, most notably those of Ibn Furtu and al-Maqrizi, and found a "striking correspondence" and only "slight discrepancies". Barth was especially surprised by the correspondences with a list of mais in al-Maqrizi's work, which must have been based on material obtained much earlier, possibly from pilgrims or merchants that passed through Egypt.
Scholars after Barth are only partially independent from each other. The next European explorer to compose a list of rulers of Kanem–Bornu was the German explorer Gustav Nachtigal, who visited Bornu in the 1870s. Nachtigal was on the orders of the then-incumbent ruling shehu Umar Kura provided with historical documents by the courtier Ahmed ibn Brahim, and worked out his own list of mais using this material. In the early 20th century, accompanied the 1906–1907 expedition of to the Chad Basin and collected a large amount of material, including a document that gave a complete timeline of mais and significant world events. From 1904 to 1930, the British colonial administrator Richmond Palmer collected oral traditions and historical documents in northern Nigeria, which were largely published in the volumes Sudanese Memoirs and Bornu, Sahara and Sudan. Palmer made use of the same source material as Barth and combined it with other sources to produce what he referred to as a "more complete" version. Palmer believed that Nachtigal's list was "very corrupt" and that Landeroin's was "suspect", having used material from secondary 19th-century sources. Palmer's work has since its publication had a strong influence on oral histories in Bornu itself, which can thus no longer be considered independent from European reconstructions.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the French historian Yves Urvoy attempted to synthesize the different sources to produce a list of mais, using Arabic sources, the work of Ibn Furtu, girgams and mahrams published by Palmer, and the lists of Barth, Nachtigal, and Landeroin. Urvoy believed that Barth's version was more reliable than those of Nachtigal and Landeroin, partly due to more alterations between lineages in the line of succession. Urvoy faced the most difficulty in reconstructing the royal line between the middle of the 13th and early 16th century, where the sources disagree the most. Similar efforts to examine and synthesize the source material to produce a list of mais as reliable as possible has since been conducted by Ronald Cohen, Dierk Lange, and Augustin Holl.
Since girgams give only regnal years, not absolute dates, estimated dates for the reigns of the mais are derived from counting back from the known death dates of the late rulers and comparing with mais mentioned in contemporary Arab documents. Differences between modern transcriptions and translations of girgams may derive from scribal errors, faulty memories during oral recital, and faulty translations by Arab and European scholars. Many of the Kanuri names in the girgams are attributes, such as Selema and Dunama, and may at least in some cases reflect later nicknames and not the contemporary names for rulers.

Duguwa dynasty (c. 700–1085)

History

The original royal dynasty of Kanem is called Duguwa in Kanuri and Banū Dūkū in Arabic. Kanem was established 700 and its original rulers probably belonged to the Zaghawa people, pastoralists from the Ennedi Plateau, who are referred to as the rulers of the empire in 9th–11th century Arab sources. Their dynasty has thus also been called the "Zaghawa dynasty" by modern scholars. Through intermingling with other ethnic groups in the region, the Zaghawa of Kanem are believed to have given rise to the Kanembu people. Modern scholars thus variously identify the Duguwa mais as Zaghawa or Kanembu. Islam reached Kanem in the mid-8th or 9th century and the Duguwa dynasty converted to Islam in the 11th century under mai Hu, the tenth mai.
All known records of the Duguwa mais were written down centuries later, after Islam had been long established and the succeeding Sayfawa dynasty ruled. In the girgam, the Sayfawa are contradictorily described as a new dynasty and genealogically connected to the Duguwa. The line of mais is given an invented Arabised origin legend in the girgam by equating the first mai, Susam, to the 6th-century Himyarite prince Sayf ibn Dī Yazan. Because of the long timespan that separates the Duguwa mais from recorded history, and there being little historical evidence for their existence outside of the girgam, some scholars treat the entire history as legendary. Cohen contends that there is little evidence that any of the Duguwa mais have "any real historical validity".

List

Reign lengths and relations follow comparative tables of different sources by Cohen. There is a high degree of agreement on the names and sequence of the Duguwa mais in the sources. The only major disagreements are the omission of Adyoma by both Nachtigal and Landeroin and Landeroin adding an additional mai before Susam, Abdallah ben Aïssata, who Landeroin stated ruled only for "a few days", omitted in all other lists. There are also minor disagreements on regnal lengths, parentage, and name variations of mais. Dates are sometimes given for the reigns of the Duguwa mais but most authors omit dates due to the uncertainties involved.

No.	Name	Reign	Relation	Notes
1	Susam	20 years	–	Credited with establishing the empire and the royal line. Connected to the 6th-century Himyarite prince Sayf ibn Dī Yazan in Islamic sources.
2	Biram	10 or 16 years	Son of Susam
3	Duku	51–52 years	Son of Biram	Source of the names Duguwa and Banū Dūkū. Sometimes alternatively identified as the first mai.
4	Fune	58–60 years	Son of Duku	Barth calls Fune "a powerful and successful prince".
5	Aritse	49–50 years	Son of Fune
6	Katuri	19–20 years	Son of Aritse
7	Adyoma	20 or 58 years	Son of Katuri
8	Bulu	16 years	Son of Adyoma
9	Arki	42–44 years	Son of Bulu or Adyoma	Extended imperial territory north into the Sahara. Claimed to have settled hundreds of slaves in the lands north of Kanem.
10	Hu	4 or 62 years	Son/daughter of Arki	The first Muslim ruler of Kanem. Possibly a woman.
11	Selema I	4 or 62 years	Son of Hu

Sayfawa dynasty (1085–1846)

History

The second royal dynasty is called Sayfawa or Sēfuwa in Kanuri and Banū Ḥummay or Banū Sayf in Arabic. According to the girgam and other sources, the Sayfawa dynasty began with the accession of the twelfth mai, Hummay. The girgam connects the dynastic shift to Hummay and his descendants "professing Islam" and not an actual break in the royal line, also designating Hummay as the son of his predecessor Selema. It may thus be misleading to speak of the Duguwa and Sayfawa dynasties as separate lineages. The girgam's explanation of Islam being the distinction between the dynasties is incorrect since the last two Duguwa mais were also Muslim. Different alternate explanations have been proposed by modern scholars. Hummay might have overthrown Selema and could have been an unrelated figure falsely inserted in the royal line in the girgam. Dewière speculated that the distinction could instead be that the last two Duguwa mais may have been Ibadi Muslim, whereas Hummay and his descendants were Sunni Muslim.
The Sayfawa dynasty ruled continuously from the 11th to the 19th century, a period of nearly 800 years, placing them among the longest-lasting ruling dynasties in history. The Sayfawa lost Kanem to the Bilala in the 14th century and were forced to relocate west to Bornu, a former tributary territory, hence the name Kanem–Bornu. Bornu continued to remain the heartland of the empire even after Kanem was recovered in the 16th century. Intermarriages between the Kanembu people and the local Sao in Bornu may have given rise to the modern-day Kanuri people. Modern scholars thus variously identify the Sayfawa mais as Kanembu or Kanuri.

List

Reign lengths and relations follow comparative tables of different sources by Cohen. The names and sequence of the Sayfawa mais differs at several points between the sources, especially from the middle 13th century to early 16th century. Dates for the reigns of the Sayfawa rulers derive from scholars adding together regnal years per the sources and counting backwards from known events, such as the capture of Ngazargamu by the Fulani in 1808. Despite disagreements between sources, there is general agreement on the rough timeframes that the mais ruled. As an example, nearly all sources place the first Sayfawa mai, Hummay, in the late 11th century. The approximate dates in the list below largely follow Bosworth. A comparative table of dates given by different authors for each mai can be found after the list.

No.	Name	Reign	Approximate dates	Relation	Notes
12	Hummay	12 or 22–23 years	1085–1097	Son of Selema I	Died in Egypt while on the Hajj.
13	Dunama I Umemi	53–55 years	c. 1097–1151	Son of Hummay	Murdered in Egypt while on the Hajj.
14	Biri I Uthman	26–27 years	c. 1151–1177	Son of Dunama I	Initially ruled under the regency of his mother Fasama.
15	Abdullah I Bikur	14–17 years	c. 1177–1194	Son of Biri I
16	Selema II	20–28 years	c. 1194–1221	Son of Abdullah I
17	Dunama II Dibalemi	14 or 38–44 years	c. 1221–1259	Son of Selema II	Increased Islamisation of the empire and suppression of pagan cults. Brought Kanem to the height of its power, commanding 40,000 horsemen and justifying conquests in the name of jihad. Flourishing trade with North Africa.
18	Kade I Aujami	7, 18–19, or 29 years	Unclear dates and sequence	Son of Dunama II	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Dunama II Dibalemi.
19	Biri II Ibrahim	16–17 or 20–21 years	Unclear dates and sequence	Son of Dunama II	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Dunama II Dibalemi.
20	Jalil	0–1 years	Unclear dates and sequence	Son of Dunama II	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Dunama II Dibalemi.
21	Dirke Kelem	19 or 28 years	Unclear dates and sequence	Son of Dunama II	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Dunama II Dibalemi.
22	Ibrahim I Nikale	1 year or 20–21 years	c. 1290–1311	Son of Biri II Ibrahim	Defeated an uprising by one of his own sons. Eventually murdered and thrown in the Wau River.
23	Abdullah II Kademi	4–21 years	c. 1311–1322	Son of Kade I	Barth refers to Abdullah II as a just ruler, who defeated the murderers and rivals of Ibrahim I.
24	Selema III	1–5 years	c. 1322–1326	Son of Abdullah II	A prolonged conflict with the Sao, southwest of Lake Chad, began under Selema. The wars claimed the lives of Selema and three of his brothers, who all reigned in quick succession.
25	Kure I Gana	7 months or 1–2 years	c. 1326–1327	Son of Abdullah II	A prolonged conflict with the Sao, southwest of Lake Chad, began under Selema. The wars claimed the lives of Selema and three of his brothers, who all reigned in quick succession.
26	Kure II Kura	8 months or 1 year	c. 1327–1328	Son of Abdullah II	A prolonged conflict with the Sao, southwest of Lake Chad, began under Selema. The wars claimed the lives of Selema and three of his brothers, who all reigned in quick succession.
27	Muhammad I Kure	1–2 years	c. 1328–1329	Son of Abdullah II	A prolonged conflict with the Sao, southwest of Lake Chad, began under Selema. The wars claimed the lives of Selema and three of his brothers, who all reigned in quick succession.
28	Idris I Nikalemi	24–25 years	c. 1329–1353	Son of Ibrahim I
29	Dawud Nikalemi	10–13 years	c. 1353–1363	Son of Ibrahim I	Beginning of intense conflicts with the Bilala in the east.
30	Uthman I	8 months or 1–4 years	c. 1363–1366	Son of Dawud	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Idris I and Dawud and war with the Bilala. The Bilala invaded the core territory of the empire and the wars claimed the lives of three mais, who ruled in quick succession.
31	Uthman II	2 years	c. 1366–1368	Son of Idris I	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Idris I and Dawud and war with the Bilala. The Bilala invaded the core territory of the empire and the wars claimed the lives of three mais, who ruled in quick succession.
32	Abubakar Liyatu	9 months or 1 year	c. 1368–1369	Son of Dawud	Period of succession conflict between the sons of Idris I and Dawud and war with the Bilala. The Bilala invaded the core territory of the empire and the wars claimed the lives of three mais, who ruled in quick succession.
33	Idris II Saradima	7–8 years	c. 1369–1376	Son/grandson of Dawud
34	Dunama III	7–8 years	c. 1369–1376	Grandson of Dawud
35	Umar I Idrismi	4–11 years	c. 1376–1387	Son of Idris I	Lost Kanem to the Bilala and re-centered the empire in Bornu, a former tributary territory west of Lake Chad.
36	Saʽid	0–1 years	c. 1387–1388	Son of Idris I	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
37	Muhammad II Manza	1 year	c. 1388–1389	Son of Idris I	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
38	Kade II Afunu	1 year	c. 1389–1390	Son of Idris I	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
39	Biri III Uthman	32–33 years	c. 1390–1422	Son of Idris I	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
40	Uthman III Kalinumuwa	0–1 years	c. 1422–1423	Son of Dawud	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
41	Dunama IV	2–4 years	c. 1423–1425	Son of Umar I	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
42	Abdullah III Dakumuni	7–9 years	c. 1425–1433	Son of Umar I	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
43	Ibrahim II	7–8 years	c. 1433–1440	Son of Uthman III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
44	Kade III	1–7 years	c. 1440–1444	Son of Uthman III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
45	Biri IV	1–6 years	c. 1444–1445	Son of Dunama III or IV	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
46	Dunama V Ahmad	4 years	c. 1445–1449	Son of Biri III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
47	Muhammad III	5 months or 1–5 years	c. 1449–1450	Unknown	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
48	Amarma	1–2 years	c. 1450–1451	Unknown	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
49	Muhammad IV	0–5 years	c. 1451–1456	Son of Kade III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
50	Gaji	5–6 years	c. 1456–1461	Unknown	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
51	Uthman IV	5 or 10–11 years	c. 1461–1466	Son of Kade III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
52	Umar II	1–3 years	c. 1466–1467	Son of Abdullah III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
53	Muhammad V	3 or 5 years	c. 1467–1470	Son of Muhammad III	Century-long chaotic period of civil strife, conflict with the Bilala, and civil wars between different branches of the imperial family. The different conflicts claim the lives of many mais, who were rarely able to secure long reigns. The empire lacks a permanent capital in Bornu, with the court of the mai constantly moving from one site to another. Little information survives from this time.
54	Ali I Gaji	27–28 or 33–34 years	c. 1470–1503	Son of Dunama V	Stabilised the empire and founded Ngazargamu, the first substantial capital since the loss of Kanem.
55	Idris III Katagarmabe	22–23 years	c. 1503–1525	Son of Ali I	Defeated the Bilala twice and restored imperial control over Kanem, though the Bilala were allowed to continue to govern the land as vassals. The imperial center remained in Bornu.
56	Muhammad VI Aminami	15, 19, or 24 years	c. 1525–1544	Son of Idris III	Led several victorious military campaigns, one of the empire's most powerful rulers.
57	Ali II Zainami	1 year or 5 years	c. 1544–1545	Son of Idris III
58	Dunama VI Muhammad	9 or 16–22 years	c. 1545–1555	Son of Muhammad VI or Idris III	Renewed conflict with the Bilala, though they were defeated and reduced to vassals again.
59	Abdullah IV Dunamami	6–8 years	c. 1555–1563	Son of Dunama VI	May have ruled under the regency of his uncle Ali Fannami.
60	Aissa Koli	7–8 years	c. 1563–1570	Daughter of Ali II, Dunama VI, or Muhammad VI	Became ruler in the absence of obvious male heirs.
61	Idris IV Alooma	32–36 or 51 years	c. 1570–1603	Son of Ali II	Brought the empire to the height of its power, partly with the aid of Ottoman mercenaries, instructors, and weapons.
62	Muhammad VII Bukalmarami	10–16 years	c. 1603–1618	Son of Idris IV
63	Ibrahim III Gumsami	7 years	c. 1618–1625	Son of Idris IV
64	Umar III al-Maqdisi	16–20 years	c. 1625–1645	Son of Idris IV
65	Biri V	less than a year	c. 1645	Son of Umar III
66	Ali III Walamma	35–40 years	c. 1645–1680	Son of Umar III	Faced several famines and at least one rebellion. Defeated a combined Tuareg–Kwararafa invasion.
67	Idris V	17–20 years	c. 1680–1699	Son of Ali III
68	Dunama VII Martemarambi	15–19 years	c. 1699–1717	Son of Ali III
69	Hamdan Dunamami	12–14, or 23 years	c. 1717–1731	Son of Dunama VII	Fought against the Mandara Kingdom to the southwest of Bornu. A pious and indolent ruler.
70	Muhammad VIII Ergama	13–16 years	c. 1731–1747	Son of Hamdan
71	Dunama VIII Gana	2–3 years	c. 1747–1750	Son of Muhammad VIII
72	Ali IV Kalirgima	40–46 years	c. 1750–1791	Son of Hamdan	Waged unsuccessful wars against the Mandara Kingdom, contributing to the weakening of the Kanem–Bornu army.
73	Ahmad Alimi	17 years	1791–1808	Son of Ali IV	Faced the Fula jihads. Defeated in battle, whereafter the Bornu heartland was threatened.
74	Dunama IX Lefiami	6–8 years	1808–1811 1814–1817	Son of Ahmad	Bornu was saved from the Fula jihads with the aid of the scholar and military leader shehu Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, who sidelined the mai. Deposed in favor of Muhammad IX but restored to the throne with al-Kanemi's aid. Killed after plotting against al-Kanemi.
75	Muhammad IX Ngileruma	3–4 years	1811–1814	Son of Ali IV	Made mai by courtiers displeased with al-Kanemi's great influence under Dunama.
76	Ibrahim IV Lefiami	28–29 years	1817–1846	Son of Ahmad	Puppet mai under al-Kanemi and al-Kanemi's son Umar Kura. Killed while attempting to take power in a civil war.
77	Ali V Minargema	40 days	1846	Son of Ibrahim IV	Briefly succeeded his father but was also defeated and killed.

Later history

After the deaths of Ibrahim IV and Ali V, power fully shifted to the shehus and shehu Umar Kura had the office of mai abolished. Survivors of the Sayfawa dynasty either fled from the country or were forced to swear allegiance to the shehu.
Several of the current traditional rulers in Nigeria use the style of mai, though the title is in contemporary times considered equivalent to "emir" and lesser in status than the style of shehu, considered equivalent to "supreme emir". Traditional rulers who use the style of mai include the rulers of Bama, Biu, Shani, Askira, Gwoza, and Uba. The traditional town heads of Marte in Borno State, Nigeria claim to represent a surviving branch of the Sayfawa dynasty and use the style of mai. According to some traditions, the Bilala dynasty are a cadet branch of the Sayfawa dynasty.