Soninke
From Open Encyclopedia
The Soninke (also called Sarakole, Seraculeh, or 'Serahuli) are a Mandé people who were the founders of the ancient empire of Ghana. After contact with Muslim Almoravid traders from the north around 1066 CE, the Soninke nobles embraced Islam, being the earliest sub-Saharan ethnic group to follow the teachings of Muhammad. The Ghana empire dispersed, resulting in a diaspora which today finds Soninkes in Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau.
Linguistically, their nearest relatives are the speakers of the the Bozo complex of languages, centered around the Niger Delta.
Today the Soninke number around 2 million and are linguistically homogeneous, with only slight phonological, lexical, and grammatical variations.
ar:لغة سوننكية
