Wadai

Wadai was a sultanate east of Lake Chad, with its capital at Wara. A Tunjur kingdom arose there around the fifteenth century, before Abd al-Karim united the Maba and other groups against it.

In 1635 Abd al-Karim founded the sultanate and married the Tunjur king’s daughter, consolidating his power. He made Islam the state religion. In the late seventeenth century Yaqub Arus refused tribute to Darfur and defeated its attack. Muhammad Sabun conquered Baguirmi in 1805 and profited from a caravan route to Benghazi; after his death succession disputes brought repeated changes of sultan.