1.Arabs referred to Ghana as the “Land of Gold.” 2.It was a rich kingdom with a strong king and powerful army. 3.The king controlled the supply of gold to preserve his wealth.

4. All the gold nuggets found in the kingdom had to be given to the king, but his people could keep the gold dust. 5. A large group of officials were paid to help govern the kingdom. 6. The royal inheritance was matrilineal, which means it was traced through women’s bloodline. When the king died, the son of the king’s sister took over.

7. Ghana had a very strong military. 8. They kept the borders secure, put down revolts, and maintained peace and order. 9. Every man in the empire is required to complete military training.

Gold was traded for everything Must pay gold to pass and they also trade Wangara gold mines Caravans go through Taghaza to pick up salt Must pay salt to pass and they also trade Salt was traded for gold

a. Important gold mines lay south of Ghana along the Senegal River b. Gold was very precious and had to be hidden carefully when traveling along the Sahara where robberies did occur c. Weights were used to measure the sizes of gold

a.The Wangaran gold mines were located in the forests south of Ghana. b. They kept them secret and legends say that gold miners would rather be killed than reveal the mines. c. To this day, no one knows where the mines are.

a. Prized because it kept food from spoiling. b. Used as medicine to cure many illnesses. c. People living in hot climates needed salt to replace what their body loses in sweat. d. Taghaza was a important city in the Sahara because it supplied a great deal of the salt in West Africa.

e. They produce salt by putting salt water in a hole and allow the water to evaporate. Then they take out the salt. f. They can also dig salt out of the ground.

1. Goods were taxed both when merchants entered Ghana and when they leave. 2. The taxes helped raise armies to build the kingdom and to protect the traders.

1. Kumbi was the busiest market in West Africa. 2. They traded everything from goods all over the world, even slaves. 3. People were divided: Muslim traders lived in one part of the city and the king and his people lived in the other.

1. Traditional Beliefs: animism- belief that all things in nature have a spirit. 2. Ancestral worship

1.Muslim warriors from the north called the Almoravids began attacking Ghana. 2. In 1076, they captured the capital city, Kumbi. 3. The Ghana’s king recaptured it in 1087, but the empire already crumbled.

4. The Sahel lacked resources like trees and very little water.

1.Founded the Mali Empire 1.Sundiata was a brilliant military leader – led the Mandinka people in war against their enemies and gained control of the gold trade routes

1.Converted to Islam and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. 2. Traveled to Cairo, Egypt lavishly with 500 slaves, each carrying a golden staff 3. He had a caravan of camels weighted down with gold

4. He gave away so much gold that its value dropped – it wasn’t so valuable anymore 5. Played a large role in trading for the empire.

1.Attacks from neighbors and fighting within the empire weakened Mali 1.By 1500, Mali had lost all of its control on the gold and salt trade across the Sahara desert.

1.Took Mali’s place as the next great empire 2.Timbuktu turned into a great trading city and the center of Islamic learning

1.Conquered lands along the Niger River. 1.By the time he died, he had built an empire larger than Ghana or Mali

1.He was a skilled military leader who modernized Songhai’s army 2. There was no full time army, until Askia Muhammed organized a permanent paid army. 3. He also created a full-time navy.

1.The Moroccans crush Songhai’s army because of advanced weaponry 1.They were armed with the “arquebuses,” a type of early gun invented in Europe. 1.Moroccan soldiers with these guns could easily kill and defeat soldiers with swords, spears, or bow and arrows