1. Early Civilizations of Africa
East and West

2. East Africa Trade in East Africa  mixture of cultures Kingdom of Axum
In modern-day Ethiopia
Monsoon winds  Axum trading ships crossed Indian Ocean
From Africa
To Africa
ivory
slaves
spices
cloth
wine
olive oil

3. East Africa: Zimbabwe Settled by Bantu-speakers
Zimbabwe = “great stone houses”
Used bricks & stones w/o mortar (cement)
Had feudal system
In 1620s, defeated by Portuguese, who wanted gold

4. East Africa: Trading city-states
Persian, Arab, Indonesian, & Indian traders settled in East Africa
Arab merchants most powerful
Grew rich by exporting iron ore, ivory, slaves, & gold from Africa
African & Arab cultures mixed
Many Africans & Arabs married
Many Africans converted to Islam
Swahili, meaning “people of the coast” in Arabic, is now most spoken language in East Africa
Portuguese, determined to take over control of trade, fought Arab city-states in East Africa for 300 years

5. West Africa 500-1500 CE: 3 kingdoms ran on trans-Saharan trade
Trade b/w West Africa, the Mediterranean region, & the Arabian Peninsula
Muslim merchants took control of the trade
They sold goods to Berbers, camel-riding desert nomads
Shipped north
Shipped south
gold
ivory
slaves
leather goods
cattle
sheep
jewelry
salt
cloth
wheat
dried fruit
horses
metal goods

6. West Africa: Ghana Ghana exported gold & imported salt
Ghana known as “land of gold”
Kings became rich taxing the gold & the salt
Invading Islamic armies & merchants spread Islam
Scholars, who taught about Islam, came too
Ghana’s city dwellers (including the kings’ advisers) converted to Islam, but farmers didn’t
Ghana became weak from North African Islamic armies, but Mali finally conquered in 1240

7. West Africa: Mali
After Mali conquered Ghana in 1240, it spread from the Atlantic Ocean to 1/3rd of the way east into Africa
Mali’s kings also become rich from taxes on gold and salt, in addition to taxes on their people
Mali’s kings became Muslims

8. West Africa: Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa ( ), king of Mali, made a huge pilgrimage to Mecca
60,000 people, 12,000 slaves, >2,400 lbs of gold
Price of gold fell sharply
Timbuktu, Mali’s capital became West Africa’s Islamic center of learning
Mansa Musa brought back architects & scholars from Mecca to build mosques, palaces, & schools
In 1359, Timbuktu and Gao (another city) split up
Mansa Musa
Timbuktu mosque

9. West Africa: Songhai
The city of Gao became the trading center of the Songhai Kingdom
King Askia Muhammad, like Mansa Musa, made big pilgrimages to Mecca
He tried to convert everyone in Songhai to Islam
Islamic principles became the basis of the court system & of social reforms
Morocco eventually took down Songhai by 1600

10. Impact of Islam Look through your notes for info on Islam.
Then, in your notes, write a paragraph explaining Islam’s impact on the early civilizations of Africa.