1. Ghana, Mali and Songhai

2.  Nok  Ghana  Mali  5x larger than Ghana  Songhai

3.  Griot-Storyteller  Diviner- Someone who communicates with spirits  Kinship-Family Relationship  Oral Tradition-History passed through retold stories

4.  Trade routes carried goods from the Middle East, Europe and Asia  Gold and Salt  Dangerous but profitable  Niger and Senegal Rivers-Natural Resource and Transportation

5.  Koumbi-Ghana  Niani-Mali  Timbuktu- major center for trade and learning  Gao- Songhai

6.  King ruled with help from a council of ministers  Kingdom divided into large provinces and smaller districts  Province ruled by a lesser king  District ruled by a chief  The son of the king’s sister inherited the throne.

7.  Local rulers had to send their sons to the king’s court.  Nobody could trade without the king’s permission  Only the king could own gold nuggets  Currency-gold dust

8.  Larger than Ghana in every way  Officials supervised specific trade or economic items…one would oversea fishing, another would be in charge of forests  Kingdom divided into provinces ruled by generals  Citizens rewarded with gold, land and horses to keep them loyal

9.  National Honor of the Trousers- only the royal family could wear sewn clothes. Most people wore wrapped cloth.  Mansa Musa- Mali’s greatest king, helped to spread Islam and education in West Africa

10.  Founded by Sunni Ali- divided into provinces but never fully organized  Ali died mysteriously in 1492  1493- Songhai taken over by general Muhammad Ture- continued spreading Islam in West Africa

11.  Most Africans believed in one supreme creator.  Religious practices varied widely from place to place  Religion provided rules for living and helped people stay in touch with their history.  Most believed the spirits of the dead stayed with the community.

12.  Became popular in West Africa because it assisted in trading with Arab world.  More Muslims in cities than in the countryside  Men like Mansa Musa, Muhammad Ture aka. Askia Muhammed very important in spreading Islam throughout West Africa.  Mosques and schools built throughout West Africa to teach the Koran.