2. Kingdoms
of West
Africa
Why did
powerful
kingdoms
emerge in
West Africa?
3. The Salt-Gold Trade
• Trans-Saharan
trade - scarcity
• N. Africa- salt
• W. Africa – gold
• strong trading
kingdoms emerge
in W. Africa
4. The Empire of Ghana
• Soninke –
founders;
controlled gold
south of Ghana
• “middlemen” of
salt-gold trade
• armed with iron
tipped weapons
Modern day
Ghana
5. • Welcomed
Berbers
(merchants from
Northern edge of
Sahara) who
brought back gold
to N. Africa
• Became wealthy
from TAXING the
TRADE
7. The Empire of Mali
Invasion and Fall of
Ghana
• Berbers from the
North captured
Ghana, then split into
smaller states
• Mandingo farmers
took advantage of
weakness and est.
empire of Mali
• Sundiata = first ruler
8. Mansa Musa
• Increased empire’s
wealth (captured salt
mines)
• Est. a SECURE empire
• Adopted ISLAM – hajj to
Mecca made Mali
famous and increased
contact between the
Middle East, N. Africa
Mansa = emperor and West Africa
9. Effects of Mansa Musa’s Hajj
• Based system of justice on
Koran
• Built mosques
• Schools/libraries - people
could study Qu’ran, other
Islamic writings
• Literally put Mali on the map
• Europeans began to search
West Africa for source of
Mali’s riches
11. Islamization of Mali
By the fourteenth century, Muslim traders were established in the town of Djenne, located in the inland delta of the
Niger. The most impressive monument of intercultural borrowing is the Friday Mosque at Djenne. There, salt from the
Sahara, goods from northern Africa and fine silks were exchanged for gold, and ivory. The monumental mosque was
constructed around 1320 (the present building was reconstructed on the foundation of the original mosque in 1907).
12. Timbuktu: City of Legends
• Crossroads of trade between
Arabia, N. Africa and W.
Africa
• Salt, gold, and kola nuts
passed through
• MM built the Grand
Mosque which attracted
Muslim scholars
• Intellectual and spiritual
center of Africa
14. Rise of Songhai
• Sunni Ali captured Gao
and Timbuktu
• Askia Muhammad
followed Islam – made
Timbuktu center of
learning
• Moroccan soldiers
overpowered Songhai
warriors’ spears and
arrows with guns and
cannons
15. Timbuktu became
known as "The
Center of
Learning," and
"The Mecca of the
Sudan"
Askia Muhammad
(Askia the Great)
16. What factors allowed for the
emergence of trading city-states in
East Africa?
• Location
– Indian Ocean (monsoon
winds)
– Access to Middle East,
India, far East
• Access to raw materials
(exports from the
interior) – gold, ivory,
slaves, etc.
• Spread of Islam
17. East Africa: Kilwa Monsoon winds
Cultural
Diffusion
Swahili – blend of Bantu
(African) and Arab
language/culture
Pd 1 – Jan 10, 2007
22. • In your group create a rap or a skit that
addresses the following questions:
– How did empires/city states in Africa become
rich?
– How did trade affect the lives of people in E. and
W. Africa?
The more THOROUGH details you use from your
notes, the more points you will earn.
STELLAR = 20 points
So-so = 10 points, and so on…
**UNDERLINE all facts in your rap/skit
Complete the following simulation trade activity: Choose a student to be the king of Mali. The king's job will be to tax people that come to the market place in Mali. Divide the rest of the students into three groups: --people from the desert in the north (carrying rock salt, cloth, books, and shells); --people from the south (carrying gold nuggets and nuts); and --the people from Mali in the market place (had gold nuggets). Set up a market place and conduct a brief bartering/trading role-playing session. People passing through the market place may use salt rocks, gold nuggets, or coins to pay taxes to the king.
The University was organized around three great Masajids or Mosques. The Masajid of Jingaray Ber, The Masajid of Sidi Yahya, The Masajid of Sankore. Masajids are places of worship for Muslims. Not only did students seek knowledge, but they also purified their souls through the sciences of Islam. Islam breeds leaders that are God fearing, just, honest, trustworthy and of excellent moral character. Graduate students were the embodiment of the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the traditions of the Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam. Around the 12th century, the University of Timbuktu had an attendance of 25, 000 students in a city which had a population of 100, 000 people. The students came from all corners of the African continent in search of excellence in knowledge and trade. On graduation day, students were given Turbans. The turban symbolizes Divine light, wisdom, knowledge and excellent moral conduct. The turban represents the demarcation line between knowledge and ignorance. The knots and circles of the turban represent the name Allah. This means that the graduate students know the Divine obligations and responsibilities to be discharge honorably in their communities and toward their fellowmen. The University curriculum had four degrees or levels: 1. The primary degree At this level the students memorized the Holy Qur'an, perfected their mastery of the Arabic language and learned to communicate and write effectively. The students were also introduced to the basics in other sciences. This level is also called Qur'anic school. 2. The secondary degree Now the students have committed the Holy Qur'an to memory. This is very important because all the Islamic sciences are routed and derived from the Qur'an which constitute the source of authentic and authority. Any teachings or narrations that are not supported by the verses of the Qur'an are rejected and constitute an innovation. This level may be called the General Studies level. Here the students are introduced to the different branches of Islamic knowledge. These Islamic sciences are: grammar, commentaries of the Qur'an, the Hadiths or the Prophetic narrations, jurisprudence, mathematics, geography, history, Islamic schools of thoughts, physics, astronomy, chemistry, sciences of the purification of the heart and soul, etc. The students also spend time in learning a trade and the Islamic business code and ethics. The university trade shops offered classes in business, carpentry, farming, fishing, construction, shoe making, tailoring, navigation etc. This is very important because as an Imam or Islamic scholar one has to impart honest and unbiased judgments in settling legal issues. This integrity will be compromised if the Imam or the scholar living expenses are being supplied by the rich people. In order the Imam or scholar to be just and fair in discharging legal decrees, he has to earn his own halal (permissible) income. 3. The superior degree The curriculum was highly specialized. The students sat in classes of renowned professors. Sankore was one of the most important departments of the University in this regard. At this level, the studies were of higher learning and mastery and are comparable to any university in the Islamic world. The students did more of the research work. For instance, the professors of the different branches of Islamic knowledge would give the students questions on different subjects and topics to be researched. Each student would then present, argue and defend his position in front of the professors and other students who would storm him with a flow of tough questions. Students go from one department to the others and from one professor to the others in search of knowledge. Most students at this stage would find a Shayk or master and study under his guidance. The Shayk would purge the student of all his Shaytanic characteristics and tendencies, and then would ensure that the same graduate student be a good Islamic model for the generation to come. Graduation was based upon a student's excellent Islamic character and his mastery of Islamic knowledge. 4. The circle of knowledge This is the club of Muslim Imams, Scholars and Professors. It here that most of the important and crutial issues of Islam are being discussed. The caliphs or Muslims state leaders such as Askia Mohammed of the Songhai Empire, Mansa Musa of the Malian Empire, Shayk Amadu of the Fulani caliphate of Massina, The Amirs and sultans of the provinces of the Sudan would send crutial questions to the Ulemas or scholars of Timbuktu. The scholar who received the questions will make copies of these question or issues and distribute them among the members of the circle of knowledge. Each scholar will research the issue and then they all get together to share their answers and thus put together a manuscripts dealing in detail with the questions or issues and then issue a Fatwa or legal Islamic ruling by the government authorities will abide. There was also the case of one Muslim who was wealthy and generous. Whoever was in need in Timbuktu approached him and secured a loan. As time went by, the Imam ofJingare Ber noticed that the number of attendance of Mosque was decreasing each Friday. (Jingare Ber, up to the present day, is the only Masjid open on Fridays in Timbuktu. The entire population converges to this famous Mosque). The Imam inquired about the cause of the lowered attendance at the Masjid and discovered that most people of Timbuktu owed money to the generous wealthy man. The people who owed him money were unable to pay their debt so they decided to stay home for fear and embarassment of running into the man. The dilemma now is what to do. The matter was submitted to the circle of knowledge who decided that the wealthy man should stayed home or forgive the debt. The wealthy man was called in. He forgave the debtees and said he had no idea that the lower attendance was because of him.
A very practical feature of the new style of mosques was the arrangement of wooden posts (known as toron or “horns”) that protruded from the outer walls. They were used to hold scaffolding when the walls were replastered each year .
