Unit 2: Networks of Exchange

Trans Saharan Trade Routes

The Roman Empire was in power and ruled over the entire mediterrianian almost, uniting it
Merchants relied on the Roman Empire’s laws and authorities to stop theft and protect the Silk Road
This allowed for the Silk Road to thrive and they were able to trade with India, China, and Persia
When the Western Roman Empire fell though, the mediterianian trade route collapased with it
Soon after the Roman Empire collapsed, the Muslims took over Northern Africa but they needed trade routes to trade with India, China, and Persia
The Muslims decided to try to travel the Sahara Desert to look for goods that would make them wealthy
They could do this because they brought camels from Arabia
All other states who ruled Northern Africa before them didn’t have these camels(Egypt, Greece, Rome)
In their travels, they found gold, salt, and slaves, which were hugely beneficial to them

The Muslims found Ghana as they traveled the Sahara Desert
This was a kingdom built over a site of gold and deposits of salt
Ghana traded up the Niger River with Morroco
Muslims tried to push their religion onto them but ended up failing
Muslims just used Ghana as a trading partner
Since there was a lot of trading near Ghana, it started to attract attention from its northern neighbors, the Berbers
They were nomadic warriors who recently converted to Islam
Since Ghana wasn’t willing to convert, they decided to destroy Ghana and succeeded
They didn’t take over it since they were nomadic, they just destroyed it
There were two tribes, one islamic and one pagan, who battled for control of Ghana after its destruction and the islamic tribe one

The Mali people took over Ghana and they were Islamic
Ghana became part of Dar al-Islam
This empire was very rich and kept expanding
They used the Niger River to trade gold, slaves, ivory, animal skins, and salt
This empire lasted untill 1670, so 470 years
Mansa Musa, one of their kings, brought Mali to its height of power
When he traveled to Mecca for his Hajj, he spent so much money that he destabilized the economy of much of Dar al-Islam by spending too much
Timbuktu was a city in Mali which was a center of trade and education

Nomadic, warrior type of people
They love fighting and conquering
They ate random meats like horse and rodent meat
Mongolia was a stateless society
They fought against eachother even, they just wanted fight and capture eachother
Genghis Khan(GK), a regular mongol, wanted to end this fighting between tribes
He slowly conquered every tribe in Mongolia using his skills as a warrior
He made all of the tribes that he conquered meet and told them that they will no longer be a stateless society
Law will be created using a writing that they will adopt from a nearby Islamic neighbor
Merit will be used to gain political power
Yassa: Great Law
- GK used the Uigher Script(the writing they adopted) to write down his laws
- He turns Mongolia into a real centralized state
- He gets rid of slavery of fellow mongols and the selling of women
- Crimes like theft were punishable by death

The Silk road allowed goods from India, China, and Persia to trade with goods from Europe
Merchants became very rich because of this road
The Mongols were geographically located just North of the Silk Road