ap world 9/24

Oases

Fertile areas in deserts where water is available, allowing people, plants, and animals to survive and supporting trade routes.

Camel saddles

Special saddles designed for camels that made it easier to carry people and goods across deserts.

Trans-Sahara trade

Trade across the Sahara Desert, especially involving gold, salt, enslaved people, and other goods between West Africa and North Africa.

Mali

A powerful West African empire that became wealthy through control of gold and salt trade routes.

Mansa Musa

The wealthy ruler of the Mali Empire who became famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca and demonstrated Mali's wealth throughout the Islamic world.

Mecca

The holiest city in Islam, located in Arabia, where Muslims travel for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Lateen sails

Triangular sails that allowed ships to sail more effectively against the wind and helped sailors travel across the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Magnetic compass

A navigation tool that uses Earth's magnetic field to determine direction, helping sailors travel more accurately.

Dar al-Islam

The regions of the world where Islam and Muslim governments and communities were dominant, connected by shared religious and cultural traditions.

Spice Islands

A group of islands in Southeast Asia, especially the Maluku Islands, known for producing valuable spices such as cloves and nutmeg.

Indian Ocean slave trade

The trade of enslaved people across the Indian Ocean, connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Monsoon winds

Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean that change direction during different times of the year and helped sailors travel between regions.

Astrolabe

A navigation instrument used by sailors to determine latitude and help locate their position using the stars.

Malacca

A major trading city and port in Southeast Asia located along the Strait of Malacca, connecting the Indian Ocean and South China Sea trade routes.

Zheng He

A Chinese Muslim admiral who led large Ming Dynasty voyages across the Indian Ocean in the early 1400s, visiting places in Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa.

Mongol Empire

The largest contiguous land empire in history, created by Genghis Khan and his successors across much of Asia and parts of Europe.

Magnetic compass

A navigation tool that uses Earth's magnetic field to determine direction, helping sailors travel more accurately.

Junk

A Chinese sailing ship designed for trade and travel, known for its large size, multiple masts, and efficient design.

Stern rudder

A movable steering device attached to the back (stern) of a ship that allowed sailors to control its direction more effectively.

Kashgar

A major trading city in Central Asia located along the Silk Roads, connecting China with Central Asia and the Middle East.

Caravanserai

Inns along trade routes where merchants and travelers could rest, obtain supplies, and protect their goods and animals.

Money economy

An economic system in which money is commonly used to buy and sell goods and services instead of relying mainly on barter.

Flying cash

An early form of Chinese paper money or credit that allowed merchants to transfer money over long distances without carrying large amounts of coins.

Banking houses

Financial institutions that stored money, provided loans, exchanged currencies, and helped merchants conduct long-distance trade.

Genghis Khan

The founder of the Mongol Empire who united the Mongol tribes and began the rapid expansion of the empire in the early 1200s.

Khan

A title used by Mongol and other Central Asian rulers meaning a leader or ruler.

Khanate

A territory or state ruled by a khan, especially one of the major divisions of the Mongol Empire.

Pax Mongolica

A period of relative peace and stability across much of the Mongol Empire that made trade and travel along the Silk Roads safer and easier.

Uyghur alphabet

A writing system adopted by the Mongols from the Uyghurs and used to write the Mongolian language.

Batu Khan

A grandson of Genghis Khan who led Mongol armies into Russia and Eastern Europe and established the Golden Horde.

Golden Horde

The Mongol khanate that controlled much of Russia and parts of Eastern Europe.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan who conquered China and founded the Yuan Dynasty.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol dynasty that ruled China from 1271 to 1368 under Kublai Khan and his successors.

White Lotus Society

A secret religious organization in China that opposed Mongol rule and later helped inspire resistance against the Yuan Dynasty.

Ming Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644 after overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty and restored Chinese rule.

Bubonic plague

A deadly disease caused by bacteria and spread primarily by infected fleas, responsible for the Black Death in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Cannon

A large gunpowder weapon that fired heavy projectiles and was used in warfare, especially from the late medieval period onward.