1. Early African Civilizations
Section 3: Later Empires

2. Mali Lay along the upper Niger River Sundiata conquered Ghana
Fertile soil helped Mali grow
Location helped them control trade on the river
Rise to power began under Sundiata
Sundiata conquered Ghana
Took over the salt and gold trades
Worked to improve agriculture – cleared land for beans, onions, rice
Introduced cotton
Took power away from local leaders, each holding the title mansa
He eventually took this title for himself
Mansa has political and religious roles in society

3. Mali’s most famous ruler was a Muslim – Mansa Musa
Mali reached its height of wealth, power, and fame under his rule
Islam spread through West Africa because of Mansa Musa
Mali added trade cities to its empire, including Timbuktu
He supported education, sending scholars to study in Morocco
Stressed the importance of learning the Arabic language so that Muslims in his empire could read the Qur’an
Maghan, Mansa Musa’s son, took the throne after his death
He was a weak ruler
Lead the empire into decline when he could not defeat raiders from the southeast

4. Songhai Rival kingdom to Mali Participated in trade
Their leaders were Muslim
Sunni Ali
Lead the expansion of the Songhai empire
Worked to unify, strengthen, and enlarge his empire
Much of the land that he added had been part of Mali
Brought stability to Songhai by building religious harmony

5. Muhammad Ture became known as Askia the Great
Took over Songhai after defeating Sunni Ali’s son, Sunni Baru
He supported education
Encouraged the growth of Islamic influence
Set up five provinces
Removed local leaders and appointed now governors
Created a professional army and specialized governments to oversee specific tasks
Eventually fell to Morocco
Moroccan soldiers carried arquebus , and early form of a gun
Changes in trade patterns completed Songhai’s fall
Overland trade decreased as port cities on the Atlantic coast became more important

6. Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe Powerful kingdom in southern Africa
Founded as a small trading and herding center
Gold mining increased in the area
Farming expanded and the kingdom’s population grew
Eventually became the center of a large trading network