1. Kingdoms of West Africa
Ch. 12.2

2. Trading Gold and Salt
Kingdoms of West Africa had a surplus, or an abundance, of certain products including gold.
A vast Trans-Saharan trade network developed in Africa where the West traded gold for a much valued salt from the North.
Items such as salt are called commodities, valuable products which have alternative uses.

3. Gold Wealth of Ghana
By 800 A.D. the rulers of the Soninke people had united many farming villages to create the Kingdom of Ghana.
Its capital was Kumbi Saleh and it prospered from trade.
In about 1050 Muslims known as Almoravids launched a campaign to bring Islam to Ghana.

4. The Kingdom of Mali
By 1235 a leader known as Sundiata brought the gold trade routes under his control and founded the empire of Mali.
In Arabic the term Mali translates to “where the king dwells.”

5. Mansa Musa
The greatest emperor of Mali was Mansa Musa, who came to the throne in 1312.
Musa encouraged Islam and made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324.

6. A New Empire in Songhai
The empire of Songhai was created in 1450 and originally centered around its main trading city of Gao.
Songhai gained wealth due to its central location between the main trading centers of the West and North.

7. Askia Muhammad One of Songhai earliest rulers was Sonni Ali.
Under his command, Songhai resisted Islam and brought trading centers such as Timbuktu under its authority.
Later Askia Muhammad became emperor.
Muhammad accepted Islam, made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and encouraged learning of the Koran.

8. Other Kingdoms of West Africa
The Kingdom of Benin rose in the rain forests of Guinea.
There the Oba, or kings traded gold for salt and prospered.
The capital Benin City was dominated with art and architecture laden with gold.
By the 1300’s the Hausa had built a number of clay walled cities.
Kano, the most prosperous was ruled by Muhammad Rumfa.
Many Hausa leaders were women.