What are some similarities between mali and songhai?

They were both African Muslim empires, they ruled over a similar region. They were both native to what is currently Mali.The Songhai could reasonably be called a successor empire to the Malinese. The Songhai had a single state language, (Gao) unlike the Malinese, and obtained greater power and wealth than the Malinese, but culturally there were a lot of similarities.

it was important in history as the site of the ancient city of yin

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yes, there are senators in each state