West African Kingdom of Mali

Sahel

a strip of land that divides the desert from wetter areas

Savanna

Open grassland with scattered trees

Rainforest

Moist, densely wooded areas

Mansa Musa's Actions

He helped grow Timbuktu by making connections with people on his pilgrimage, building schools and mosques and making it a center of learning

Mali's Wealth

Mansa Musa made Mali wealthy and powerful by capturing trading cities and controlling trade routes; also they had naturally occurring gold mines

Mansa Musa's Hajj (pilgrimage)

travelled to Mecca, drawing attention to himself, Mali, and their wealth, which led to scholars moving to Timbuktu

Oral History

a spoken record of past events used in Western Africa

Griots

a west African storyteller and historian that uses oral tradition and music

Kente

A hand-woven, brightly colored fabric, worn for special occasions in Ghana

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), the same God that Jewish and Christian people believe in.

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Timbuktu

Capital of Mali Empire on the Niger River; major major location on the trans-Saharan trade route

Kingdom of Mali

a huge territorial empire that flourished in west Africa during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Its capital was Timbuktu

Trade Goods

West Africa controlled trade of salt and gold

Iron Tools

when west Africans began creating these, it increased food production

Proverbs

short sayings of wisdom or truth that are used to teach lessons; common within the oral tradition of West Africa

Ibn Batutta

Muslim scholar from Morocco that traveled to Mali and documented his trip