Saki

Saki, also written Shaki, lies in northern Yoruba country on the savanna frontier of the Oyo Empire. Farmland, grazing land and routes linked the town with neighbouring communities, and its markets drew traders from the forest and from the north.

During the early modern centuries the Oyo Empire extended its influence through military organisation, tribute and trade. Local towns kept their own institutions within this system. Islamic influence arrived through commerce alongside older religious traditions. In the early nineteenth century Oyo weakened, warfare spread across the northern frontier, and the shifting alliances placed heavy pressure on communities such as Saki.