1. Trans-Saharan Trade Network

2. across Sahara Desert Exchange of goods Set of connections
Definition:
TRANS = SAHARAN= TRADE= NETWORK=
across
Sahara Desert
Exchange of goods
Set of connections

3. 1. It was a link between Africa and the Arab world.
What was the trans-Saharan trade network?
1. It was a link between Africa and the Arab world.
Arabia
Africa
This provided the opportunity of the trade of goods, such as gold, and ideas, including religion.

4. What was travel like along the trans-Saharan trade route?
People traveled using camels because they had flat feet to move easily across sand and could retain water (and would not have to be fed often).
It took two months to cross the mile Sahara Desert.
It was a difficult trip, but
people risked dying of
thirst to become rich.

5. Trans-Sahara Trade Routes

6. Trans-Sahara Trade Routes
Beginning of trade: Ghana
Height of trade: Mali
Decline of trade: Portuguese invaders/Atlantic slave trade

7. I am the king of Ghana. I, along with the societies of Berbers in the north, keep the Saharan trade routes safe and punish thieves severely!

8. North:
salt ceramics glass oil lamps
gold kola nuts palm oil copper
South:

9. Tunisia
Egypt

10. How did the ideas & beliefs of Islam spread into Africa?
Arab merchants came to live in Africa and so their ideas spread.
Arab traders brought the first system of writing and numbers to West Africa.
The African kings hired Arabs as government officials to help them take care of trade matters.

11. CONTINUED…
The Arabs in West Africa taught about the Muslim religion and so many Africans converted to Islam and mosques were built.
Mandinke people on the southern Sahara acted as middlemen traders between Arab caravans and Wangara gold miners.
“brotherhood of all believers,” which encouraged trust and peaceful trade between people of different nationalities.

12. AFRICANS CONVERT TO ISLAM4

13. African Political Organization: Islamic Kingdoms
Spread of Islam
When did it spread through Africa?
How?
Why?

14. African Political Organization: Islamic Kingdoms
Islamic Impact
Active trade with Islamic world (Dar al- Islam)
Islamic world interested in Ghana:
“The richest king on the face of the earth by reason of wealth and treasure of [gold]”
By 11th C, Muslims part of culture of the Savannah

15. African Political Organization: Islamic Kingdoms
Mansa Musa
Malian Muslim King
, set out to take a Hajj
Thousands of retainers
100 camel loads of gold
Prices skyrocketed in Alexandria
Reports of wealthy Africans to Europe
Set out to build new mosques

16. African Political Organization: Islamic Kingdoms
Timbuktu: Center of learning
Young men “kept in irons until they had memorized the entire Qu’ran” (Ibn Battuta)
“Salt comes from the north, gold from the south, but the word of God and the treasures of wisdom come from Timbuktu."
High literacy rate

17. However, the Africans kept some of their own traditions, such as a matrilineal form of choosing the next ruler (the next king would be the king’s sister’s son). Women were also still very independent and they still scarred their faces to show clan affiliations.

18. The Africans that converted to Islam observed the hours of prayers, they studied their books of law, and
memorized the Qur’an.
9. Some also took the
3,500-mile
pilgrimage to the
holy city of
Mecca, including
Mali’s king,
Mansa Musa.

19. Begin Log #3…
3. Describe the Trans-Saharan trade network and its impact on the spread of Islam in Africa.
The Trans-Saharan trade network was a set of __________________ across the ________________ Desert where people ____________ goods, especially ________ and ________. The Africans traveled in ________ caravans to North Africa and Arabia to trade goods such as….
Islam spread because…