West African Trading Kingdoms

Ghana, Mali, Axum, and Songhai

• Describe any THREE common features of the historical circumstances associated with the rise of Ghana, Mali, Axum, and Songhai.

• Relate THREE important contributions of African civilizations.

CLOSEUP:

Ibn Battuta

● The Kingdom of Mali (c. 1300) Ibn Battuta -- The [people] possess some admirable qualities. They are seldom unjust, and have a greater abhorrence [hatred] of injustice than any other people. There is complete security in their country. Neither traveler nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers or men of violence. --- Which point of view about the culture of Mali does Ibn Battuta express in this passage?

Kingdom of Ghana• richest trading

civilizations in West Africa

• location midway between Saharan salt

mines & tropical gold mines;

• the kings of Ghana taxed goods that entered or left their kingdom.

Kingdom of Ghana

• two-way traffic by caravan between cities in North Africa & Ghana.

• Salt = an important trade item for the ppl of Ghana, – preserve & flavor

foods.

Kingdom of Ghana

• Ghana – height - 800s & 900s;

• trade moving through Ghana brought ideas & customs to the kingdom

Kingdom of Ghana

• end 1000s, an attack on the Ghanaian trade centers by the Almoravids, a Muslim group from North Africa, led to the decline of Ghana as a prosperous kingdom.

Kingdom of Mali• Mali, one of the states to

break away from Ghana, became a powerful kingdom that eventually ruled much of West Africa.

• One of Mali's early kings, Sundiata Keita, restored the trans-Saharan trade in gold & salt

Kingdom of Mali

• Mali's greatest king, Mansa Musa, ruled from 1312 to 1332, opened & protected trade routes, & introduced Islamic culture.

Kingdom of Mali• A Muslim himself,

Musa enhanced the prestige & power of Mali through a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324;

• @ Mecca , Musa persuaded a Spanish architect to build mosques & a palace for Musa in Timbuktu.

Kingdom of Mali• After Mansa Musa

died, the empire came under attack from the north & south;

• inside the kingdom, ppl living in the Songhai region of the Niger River valley rebelled against the empire.

Kingdom of Songhai

• The rebellious Songhai, skilled traders, farmers, & fishers,

• led by strong rulers who managed to conquer the cities of Timbuktu & Djenne.

Kingdom of Songhai

• 1493 to 1528, under the Muslim ruler Askia Muhammad– came to power when

the Muslim population overthrew a non-Muslim king

– Songhai Empire reached its height of glory.

Kingdom of Songhai

• Devoted to Islam, Muhammad introduced laws based on the teachings of holy book of Islam, the Quran.

Kingdom of Songhai

• 1528 Askia Muhammad = overthrown by his son,

• by 1600 the Songhai Empire had come to an end, defeated by an invading Moroccan army.

Similarities

Trade carried out by Berbers across caravan routes in desert (caravan – “fleet of the desert”; camels) Export: iron, gold, Import: salt, metal goods, textiles, horses A tendency for Arab racism toward Berbers

Achievements

• Timbuktu (present-day Tombouctou)

• Intellectual capital of Muslim world thanks to Mansa Musa

• Famous Sankore mosque

Sankore MosqueTimbuktu

QUESTIONS

• Ghana, Mali, and Songhai arise mainly because of trade in __ and __.

• Mansa Musa’s rule is proof that complex societies existed in Africa before the coming of __.

• A significant effect of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca was __.

More QUESTIONS

• The earliest great west African trading state was __.

• Salt came from the __ and gold mines were located __. The trade routes for these items crisscrossed in __.

• __ were crucial for African trade across the Sahara for the Berbers.

• The beliefs of __ was spread in west Africa thanks to Mansa Musa.

West African Superpowers5min4

List THREE – What was the influence of Islam?

Who was Ibn Battuta?

West African Superpowers