in full al-Ḥājj ʽUmar ibn Saʽīd Tal
born c. 1797, Halvar, Fouta-Toro [Senegal]
died Feb. 12, 1864, near Hamdalahi, Tukulor empire [Mali]
West African founder of the Tukulor empire.
Born in the Sénégal River valley, he became a mystic and set out to Mecca on a pilgrimage at age 23. Through political and religious connections he made during and after his journey, he was appointed caliph for black Africa by the head of the Tijānī brotherhood. He returned to Africa in 1833, and in 1854, in the area of upper Guinea, eastern Senegal, and western and central Mali, he ordered a jihad to sweep away the pagans and bring back lapsed Muslims. He defeated the Bambara pagans of Mali, but they soon rebelled. Attacked by the Tuareg s, Fulani in 1863, ʽUmar's army was destroyed, and he was pursued and killed in an explosion. His empire lasted under his son Ahmadu Seku until 1897, when it was annexed by the French.