1. Recap: Ghana, Mali, & Songhai

2. Ghana Questions What made Ghana wealthy?
Who were the Berbers and what did they do in Ghana?
Who attacked and conquered Ghana?

3. Mali Questions Who was the founder of Mali?
What was Timbuktu and why was it important?
Who was Mali’s most famous king? What was the result of his pilgrimage to Mecca?
What factors caused Mali’s decline?

4. Songhai Questions How did the Songhai Empire begin?
Who was Askia Muhammad and how did he affect the religious beliefs of people in Songhai?
What factors caused Songhai’s decline?

5. Ghana Grew rich from gold-salt trade
Berbers  Muslim nomads in North Africa who traded salt across Sahara to West Africa
Introduced Islam & Arabic to West Africa
Islam
City-Dwellers & Upper class – converted to Islam
Farmers & Lower classes – mostly kept old religion OR combined old ways with Islam
Conquered by Almoravids (Muslims from N. Africa)

6. Mali Founded by Sundiata Timbuktu – capital of Mali
Trade/cultural center on Niger River
Center of Islamic learning
Mansa Musa – most famous king of Mali
Pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 impressed people who saw him
Fell apart b/c of internal (rebellions) and external (Berber invasions) problems

7. Songhai
Rebelled against Mali & conquered lands in former Mali & Ghana empires
Askia Muhammad – expanded Songhai empire & spread Islam throughout empire
Cities  converted to Islam
Countryside  blended old religion with Islam
Fell apart b/c of weak leaders & outside invasions