Heritage of Africa

What To Look For In The Chapter

• In parts of Africa, trade helped to support large states and empires.

• The peoples of Africa developed many different societies.

• The slave trade disrupted. traditional patterns of life in parts of Africa.

• European imperialism, helped by advanced technology & economic power, led to great changes in Africa.

The Pilgrimage of Mansa Musa • Crossed the Sahara Desert in 1324 on his way to

the holy city of Mecca• Converted to Islam and was fulfilling his duty to

travel to Mecca• 3,000 Mile long journey by camel caravan • Had incredible amounts of gold and slaves that

he took with him• Ruler of the Mali Empire gave him the wealth and

power to accomplish this

The Gold & Salt Trade • Long tradition of trading from the Middle East

and North Africa to the Savanna Lands of West Africa

• Must have knowledge to cross the Sahara Desert• Traveled by navigating the stars at night to avoid

the heat of the day• Risked their lives for profit and to spread limited

trade goods (especially salt)• Both North Africa and West Africa had important

trade goods

What do you notice about the map and what it shows us?

Effects of Trade Routes

• West African lands needed salt and had gold to trade for it

• Salt and gold were major trade goods that earned a lot of money

• Trade allowed strong kingdoms to grow in West Africa (Ex. Mali)

• Rulers became rich and built armies to conquer neighboring lands and expand

• Made large cities the main point in empires

Empire of Ghana • Developed in the plains between the Niger and

Senegal Rivers• Ghana- means the “King of Gold”• Founded by the Soninke People in 500 A.D.• Governed the lands through princes and

officials chosen by the emperor• Emperor’s power rested with the gold trade he

owned all the gold that was in the Empire• Major city and trade site on the Trans-Saharan

trade route

Ghana’s Trade System• People in Ghana were connected to other

societies through trade goods• Traded primarily with the Berbers (they lived in

the desert areas of North Africa)• Berbers traded in- Salt, cloth, and horses• Ghana traded in- Gold, precious stones, kola nuts • Every trade caravan had to pay a tax to the

Kingdom of Ghana• 1076 Kingdom of Almoravids broke apart the

Ghana Empire into smaller pieces

Affluent Society in Ghana• Wealthy and powerful

city that showed the power of Ghana

• Ali- Bakri said in 1065-• “When the king gives an

audience to his people, to listen to their complaints and to set them to rights, he sits in a pavilion around which stand ten pages holding shields and gold-mounted swords.”

Empire of Mali

• Created by a series of battles fought by the Mandingos to create the Empire of Mali

• Mandingos- farmers that had lived under the rule of Ghana

• They fought for and controlled areas that had gold and made their new empire from that foundation

• The Empire of Mali was created due to the breakup of the Kingdom of Ghana

• Trading empires would come and go based on defeats and outside pressures

Why would Mali be important?

Mansa Musa – Leader of Mali

• Ruled Mali from 1312 till he died in 1337• Captured the salt mines at Taghaza, which

increased his power and wealth• Mansa Musa adopted Islam as his religion

(allowed his subjects to still worship their own gods)

• Islam had spread through the traders that come from the Middle East

• Based his system of justice on the Koran (Islamic Holy book)

Effects of Islam on the Kingdom of Mali

• Mansa Musa took a pilgrimage to Mecca

• Increased contact with West Africa and the Middle East

• Ambassadors from Mali went to Middle Eastern countries

• Islamic scholars came to Mali

• As- Sahili – architect of many Mosques

Decline of the Mali Empire• Successors of Mansa Musa were not as powerful

or skillful as he was• Power struggles weakened the empire in the

1400’s • Towns and cities broke apart from the empire

and Mali became smaller and weaker• It existed as a smaller state for 200 more years

before becoming absorbed by other empires

Songhai Empire in West Africa • Songhai empire grew and became powerful as the

Mali Empire declined• Powerful city of Gao was the center of their empire• Sunni Ali in 1446 set out to strengthen the empire he

fought to provide safety to the trade caravans– Fought for 28 years to create a stable and powerful empire

• Followed by Askia Muhammad who converted to Islam and made Timbuktu a major religious education center

• Songhai Empire picked up where the Mali Empire had stopped (Continuation of the same basic area)

Compare Songhai to the Mali Empire

Overhead view of Timbuktu.

What would the problems and obstacles be for this city?

Decline of the Songhai Empire • Fell in 1591 to an invading army from Morocco • Morocco invaded in order to attack Mali (they

did not know Mali had fallen)• Defeated the Songhai Empire instead • Morocco had guns and cannons which were

better than bows and arrows of the Songhai• With the defeat the Songhai Empire was no

longer a power in West Africa Look at the map on page 82. Please answer the questions on

page 82 by utilizing the information in the map .

Kingdom of Benin • Located further away from the coast of West

Africa were kingdoms that existed in the Rain Forest

• Lived closer to the equator and had those climate issues to deal with

• Developed/started in the delta region of the Niger River

• Controlling the mouth of the river allowed them to control the trade

• Trade was another major part of this empire

Benin Culture (Heritage)• Preserved their culture and history through oral

tradition– Oral Tradition- stories that are told from generation

to generation and not written down• Oba- means ruler • Ewuare- famous Oba who captured many people

and lands and made them pay tribute to him• Set up a central government to run his empire

and is credited with starting the Empire of Benin

Accomplishments of Benin City

• Benin City was the capital of the Kingdom of Benin

• Major site for industry and craft workers

• Had large streets that actually covered the whole city

• Craft workers Made- – Woven goods, brass,

wood and ivory objects– Eventually learned how

to work with Bronze

How would you describe these?

Cities of East Africa • Trade with other people around the world

allowed coastal East African cities to grow• Trading centers became City-States- large town

with its own government and usually controls the surrounding countryside

• Traders brought animal skins, gold and ivory from the interior and Arab traders carried them North

• Some traders used the Indian Ocean and the monsoon winds to carry goods to South Asia