Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
Sahel Region
- Arabic for Coast / Shore
- Semi - arid region in Africa stretching East to West, just south of the Sahara
- Separates desert in north from Humid Savanna / Tropics to the South
- Goldilocks Zone
Ancient African Kingdoms
- The Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Empires all developed along the Sahel
- Why?
- Geography Rules!
- Trade Route and Transitional Zone
Empire of Ghana
- Advances in Trans - Saharan Trade
1) Before: Too Dangerous to travel the Sahara
a) Nature: Heat, Lack of Water
b) Human: Bandits and Tribes
2) Advances: Made Desert Travel Possible
a) Camels
1) "Ships of the Desert"
b) Caravans
1) Large groups traveling together
2) Mapped out oases for rest & water
3) Provided security and protection
What is the Trans Saharan Trade
Trade across the Sahara Desert
Who were the Berbers?
- A tribe Indigenous to North America
- Later converted to Islam
- Mined Salt deposits
What was the Impact of Salt?
- Plentiful in Northern Africa
- Extremely scarce south of the Sahara
- Needed for Survival
What was the solution to gain more Salt?
Gold for Salt
- Ghana always had tons of gold
- With advances in desert travel, Ghana began trading Gold for Salt
- Sell Salt to Sub - Saharan Africa, especially the tropics
- High price to supply/demand
Powerful Kings in the Ghana Empire:
- Kings of Ghana taxed the salt trade
- Only Kings could own gold, this gave them exclusive rights to trade gold with the Islamic world
- Unimaginable wealth
- Built armies to protect trade routes
What was the time Period of the Ghana Empire?
800 CE - 1100 CE
What was the time period of the Mali Empire?
1200 CE - 1400
Who was the leader of the Mali Empire?
Mansa Musa
What did Mansa Musa do as a leader?
- Expanded Territory
- Population grew to 40 million
- Large army to protect Trans - Saharan Trade
Who was Mansa Musa?
The wealthiest man who ever lived. He taxed gold and the salt trade. He is worth 400 billion dollars
Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage:
- Islamic Practice called Hajj
- Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
- 60,000 person entourage
- Gave away gold as they went, around 20 million to 1 billion dollars. This destabilized local economies, like Cairo.
- He returned to Mali with Islamic experts in:
- Architecture
- Arts
- Academics
- Religion
What is Timbuktu?
- Capital City of the Mali Empire
- Islamic experts from hajj built:
- Mosques
- Universities
- Libraries
- Timbuktu became center of learning and culture in Western Africa
What was the side effect of Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage and Timbuktu's fame?
Europe's attention
What time period did the Songhai Empire take place in?
1400 CE - 1600 CE
Who was Sonni Ali?
- First King
- Conquered Timbuktu
What was the Songhai Empire's Superpower?
They had a strong Military
Why was Sonni Ali a smart leader?
Replaced local leaders with those loyal to him. This reduced Rebellions.
Re - established Trade:
The later rulers of the Songhai Empire Re-established Trans - Saharan Trade. This caused Islam to spread along trade route. (an example of Cultural Diffusion). They established the largest trade network in African History, connecting: North Africa, Western Africa, and Southern Africa
