West African Trading Kingdoms - JonesHistory.net. African Trading Kingdoms... · West African...
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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