African Kingdoms Great Empires
Ghana: Land of Gold / 3rd century A.D. - Berber nomads used camels to cross the Sahara / covered 60 miles in a day / traveled up to ten days without water / nomads blazed new routes across the desert and trade increased / 3rd century A.D. - Berber nomads used camels to cross the Sahara / covered 60 miles in a day / traveled up to ten days without water / nomads blazed new routes across the desert and trade increased
African Caravan Routes
Gold-Salt Trade / Gold Trade: / came from a forest region south of the savanna between the Niger and Senegal rivers / dug from shafts as deep as 100 feet / sifted it from fast-moving streams / until about 1350, at least 2/3 of the world’s supply of gold came from West Africa / Gold Trade: / came from a forest region south of the savanna between the Niger and Senegal rivers / dug from shafts as deep as 100 feet / sifted it from fast-moving streams / until about 1350, at least 2/3 of the world’s supply of gold came from West Africa
Gold-Salt Trade / Salt Trade: / West Africa’s savanna and forests lacked salt / salt was essential to human life / the Sahara contained deposits of salt / Arab and Berber traders crossed the desert with camel caravans loaded down with salt / Salt Trade: / West Africa’s savanna and forests lacked salt / salt was essential to human life / the Sahara contained deposits of salt / Arab and Berber traders crossed the desert with camel caravans loaded down with salt
Empire of Ghana / king controlled trade / he could demand taxes and gifts from merchants and chiefs of surrounding lands / only the king had the right to own gold nuggets / limited the supply of gold and kept its price from falling / king controlled trade / he could demand taxes and gifts from merchants and chiefs of surrounding lands / only the king had the right to own gold nuggets / limited the supply of gold and kept its price from falling
Empire of Mali / the kingdom of Mali emerged south of Ghana / miners found new gold deposits east of Ghana / the most important trade routes shifted eastward / helped make the people of Mali wealthy and allowed them to seize power / the kingdom of Mali emerged south of Ghana / miners found new gold deposits east of Ghana / the most important trade routes shifted eastward / helped make the people of Mali wealthy and allowed them to seize power
Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali exercised royal control over the gold-salt trade and put down every rebellion empire expanded to roughly twice the size of the empire of Ghana divided Mali into provinces and appointed governors, who ruled fairly and efficiently his 100,000-man army kept order and protected Mali from attack went on a hajj to Mecca from 1324 to 1325 and on his return built mosques in Timbuktu and Gao
Mansa Musa and Timbuktu / Timbuktu became a center for learning / attracted Muslim judges, doctors, religious leaders, and scholars from far and wide to its mosques and universities / Timbuktu became a center for learning / attracted Muslim judges, doctors, religious leaders, and scholars from far and wide to its mosques and universities
African Kingdoms and Empires / Empire of Songhai / Benin / Great Zimbabwe / Mutapa Empire / Kilwa / Empire of Songhai / Benin / Great Zimbabwe / Mutapa Empire / Kilwa