Talansan

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Talansan was the site of an important battle in Futa Jallon, a region in what is now Guinea. Muslim forces defeated the Traditionalist leaders who resisted Islam, helping to create the Imamate of Futa Jallon. The marabouts won a decisive victory. Talansan lies east of Timbo, on the banks of the Bafing River. Tradition says 99 Muslims beat a much larger Traditionalist army, killing many of them. After the victory, the effort to convert people continued and met resistance, especially from nomadic Fulbe herders who feared losing control over their lives. Most sources date the battle to about 1727 AD (1140 AH), at the start of the jihad. Some accounts say 1747 or 1748, after many years of fighting with records now lost. An 1876 account of Fula history supports the earlier date and says Alfa of Timbo (Karamokho Alfa) became king after the victory and ruled for eighteen years.