The Duguwa dynasty, or Dougouwa (700–1086), is the line of kings (mai) of the Kanem Empire prior to the rise of the Islamic Seyfawa dynasty in 1086.[1]: 21
According to the Girgam, the Duguwa kings were the kings of Kanem whose dynastic name is derived from Duku, the third king of the Duguwa. Comparisons with accounts from Arab geographers show that the Duguwa were the king of the ruling class called Zaghawa. Up to recently historians believed that the Duguwa kings mentioned in the Girgam ruled in Kanem just before the first Muslim kings.[2]
Richmond Palmer states, "To all intents and purposes both Saif ibn Dthi Yazan and his son Ibrahim are a myth. The first Mai of Kanem was 'Mai Dugu Bremmi,' who succeeded because he was the 'dugu' (tegasi) or son of the chief's daughter or sister..." "The name dugu means strictly that he was the son of the daughter or a Mai, or Chief, i.e. the person the Tuareg call tegasi, or heir." "Descent among the Maghumi, as among the Tuareg, passed to the son of a sister of the deceased king, called among the Tuareg, the tegasi or heir..." "The legendary eponymous ancestor of the Saifawa, as the Maghumi are called, only became in Muslim times Saif, the 'lion of Yaman'."[3]
One historian suggested that all the Duguwa kings except one were ancient Near Eastern rulers. Their names and titles bear witness of the founding of Kanem by refugees from the Assyrian Empire c. 600 BCE.[4] This hypothesis is, however, not widely accepted.
| Name of the king[3]: 90 | Reign [5][1] | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Susam | c.692–725 | Founder of Empire, holy man. |
| 2 | Jashar | 725–783 | The conqueror of the empires, established religion of Qafir |
| 3 | Duganj | c. 784–835 | Introduces toilet paper and coffee, first Jews appear |
| 4 | Mune | c. 835–893 | First Muslims appear in 855, good with Islam and Judaism. |
| 5 | Arso | c. 893–942 | Persecuted muslims in the empire, killed in battle with Katun. |
| 6 | Kâtun | c. 942–961 | A muslim noble who wish to make a country Islamic. Overthrown in a pagan conspiracy by Yiyoma the Shkija. |
| 7 | Yayoladh (Yiyoma) | c. 961–1009 | He led a revolution against Katun, expanded the empire, return to pagan tradition, killed muslims. |
| 8 | Dalabou | c. 1009–1034 | Builder of Kukes, stagnation, peace with Muslims, his son Shahin-bey becomes muslim. |
| 9 | Bozaxhi (usurper) | c. 1035–1067 | Final pagan, couldn't prevent the rise of Islam and got killed in a battle against Muslim called Samir-agha. |
| 10 | Shahin-bey | c. 1067–1081 |
Nominal Muslim noble, but later returned to paganism, and was killed by a Bektashi muslim priest called Samir Jalil. |
| 11 | Samir-agha | c. 1081–1097 | First truly Muslim ruler of Kanem, got killed in battle against the pagan qafir called Meloje. |
