Empires of Africa: Ghana, Mali & Songhai

Empires of Africa: Ghana, Mali & Songhai Empires in Africa (Ghana, Mali and Songhai) and Asia (Byzantine, Ottoman, Mughal and China) grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade routes.

Africa’s Geography Savanna • Areas of grassland with scattered trees and bushes • Much of Africa is savanna • Africa’s lions, zebras, and elephants live mainly on the savanna Sahara • Desert stretching across most of North Africa • Worlds largest desert • Hot, dry place of sand dunes and rocky mountains

Africa’s Geography • Tropical Savanna covers the largest area of Africa • Sahara Desert • Worlds Largest Desert • Very few people live here • Lakes, deep valleys and rugged mountains run north to south through East Africa

Affect of Africa’s Geography • Africa’s physical geography has affected its people’s way of life • For example, there is little farming in Africa’s deserts, because there is too little water. • People herd cattle on the savannas, but cattle cannot survive in the rain forest. • Flies and other pests in the rain forest carry diseases that are deadly for cattle.

The Bantu • The Bantu are a large group of central and southern African’s who speak related language • The Bantu people, searching for better land for farming, migrated across most of Africa south of the Equator • Much of what we know about these early African’s comes from oral history • Accounts from the past that people pass down by word of mouth.

The Bantu and History • Bantu often moved into areas where people already lived • When this happened, they sometimes joined the groups living there. • The older cultures usually adapted to the Bantu culture. • Agriculture: Yams • Metalworking: Iron Tools • Axes: Cut down trees and clear the land • Spears and Arrows: Powerful weapons for hunting and warfare.

Ghana, Mali & Songhai • Powerful trading kingdoms, including Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, controlled the savannas of West Africa for hundreds of years

Trade: Salt • Salt and gold were the basis of West African Trade. • Most of the salt came from mines in central Sahara • Salt was very valuable • People needed it to preserve meat, and to maintain good health • Salt was scarce in the forest region

Trade: Gold • Some people from the forest region sold gold in exchange for salt • Some gold was sold to traders on their way to North Africa • These traders returned with glass and other precious North African goods

Ghana (400 to 1000) • First West African kingdom to be based on the wealth of salt and gold • Took control of trade routes across the Sahara • Ideal location for trade • Capital city broken into two areas: Trade City and Royal City • Eventually Ghana was overran by invaders and began to break into small, independent states • Soon trade was controlled by a the powerful new kingdom of Mali

Mali (1200 to 1450) • Mali was centered in the Upper Niger Valley • In the 1200’s Mali took control of the salt and gold trade • Strong leaders and wealth caused Mali to grow • In the 1300’s Islam became the official religion of the Empire

Mali: Mansa Musa • Became ruler in 1312 • Ruled for 25 years • Converted to Islam • Pilgrimage to Mecca Page 44 • Helped Mali become a center of learning • Scholars came to teach religion, mathematics, medicine and law

The Fall of Mali • About 50 years after Mansa Musa died, Mali’s power began to fade • Raiders attacked from the north and fighting broke out within the kingdoms • Several providences broke away and became independent • One of these former providences became an empire in its own right, Songhai.

Songhai (1450 to 1600) • Songhai became the leading empire in West Africa savanna during the 1400s • Like Ghana and Mali, Songhai controlled the trade routes and the sources of salt and gold • Songhai’s wealth and power grew when it conquered the rich trading city of Timbuktu

Timbuktu • Large markets • Metal, wood, grains, nuts, fish, camel meat, milk, water, dates, rugs linen, ivory, gold salt and even slaves • Scholars • Scholars came to study and exchange ideas • Religion • Muslims could pray at large mud mosques

Timbuktu - Africa's City of Gold

The Fall of Songhai • In less than 100 years, the kingdom of Songhai began to lose power. • In the late 1500s, the people of Songhai began fighting among themselves • The kingdom became weaker • Eventually it fell to the guns and cannons of the armies of North Africa • The era of rich and power trading empires of West Africa was at an end.

Empires of Africa: Ghana, Mali & Songhai