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Early Civilizations of Africa

Early Civilizations of Africa. East and West. East Africa. Trade in East Africa  mixture of cultures Kingdom of Axum In modern-day Ethiopia Monsoon winds  Axum trading ships crossed Indian Ocean. East Africa: Zimbabwe. Settled by Bantu-speakers Zimbabwe = “great stone houses”

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Early Civilizations of Africa

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  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

  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

  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 (1312-1337), 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.

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