Key
Red – Critical information, must be copied EXACTLY
Purple- – good information, great for studying
Green – doesn’t need to be written, but good to know
Geography
There were 5 regions of Africa (in order from driest to wettest): The Sahara Desert, The Sahel, Savanna, Niger River Delta, and the Rainforest. The Sahara desert was the main place for salt/halite, since there was so much of it there. It was little to no rainfall, and very small plants. The Sahel is basically the border of the Sahara and the Savanna. It is EXTREMELY hot. The Savanna is mainly a grassland made up of small plants, a lot of animals such as lions, bobcats, zebras, giraffes, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, most of the African animals. The Niger River Delta is basically the ‘home base’ of the African kingdoms. It is a triangular shaped land form and it was the ideal place for farming, at the mouth of the river. The Rainforest has the most rain in the region, lots of trees. Gold is found here.
Oral History (passed down through the eyes)
Most African groups did not write down their stories, so they had people called Griots, who remembered the stories and told them to people so they would be passed down. Their job was to mainly keep track of family histories.
THE AFRICAN KINGDOM OVERVIEW
Africa produced many great civilizations. During the time of the Middle Ages of Europe, the African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were places of advanced learning and great wealth. Strong leaders and vast resources helped these cultures rule large areas of northern and western Africa for hundreds of years. When trading, Africa had gold easily at their disposal. But Africa wanted salt, and their closest neighbors were Arabian Kingdoms. Which was pretty conveinent, since Arabia wanted Gold, and Africa wanted salt. Africa wanted salt, because you need salt to live and it is also hot in Africa. You lose salt when you sweat, which can be a problem if you have no salt to live off of. You need salt to live. Africans were willing to trade 1 pound of gold for 1 pound of salt – Arabians were willing to trade 1 pound of salt for 1 pound of gold. Both sides were accepting of this decision.
Ghana
Ghana developed in West Africa between the Niger and the Gambia rivers. It was an important kingdom there from about 300 AD to 1000 AD. The rivers helped Ghana grow rich because they were used to transport goods and develop trade. It was located between gold and salt trade. Ghana collected taxes from traders who passed through the kingdom. The kings of Ghana made key decisions that led to their success: 3 things that they did to protect the kingdom.
- Tax: The first thing the king did was charge a tax (a tribute, a tariff) on all people entering and leaving Ghana. This tax was paid in salt, iron, peacock feathers, fine silk, spices, and other luxury goods. In exchange, Ghana warriors kept the trade routes open and protected from raiders. It was the tax that made Ghana rich.
- Silent Bartering: Rather than meet and argue a price, gold would be left at a special place for traders to take. If ample goods were not left in exchange, all trade ceased. The traders of Ghana did not speak the language of many new traders who crossed the Sahara via the Trans-Sahara trade routes. This system of silent barter worked very well. Traders were also afraid to leave too little. They knew Ghana would stop trading. If anything, they left more than they usually would, to keep relations and the trade flowing.
- Building a second city: King of Ghana did not wish traders to enter his city on a routine basis or in an uncontrolled manner. To protect his people, he built a second city for the traders located about 6 miles from the main capital. The capital remained a city for the king and his people. The other, new part of the city, was reserved for Muslim traders, merchants, and foreigners.
Mali (the best empire, in my opinion)
The empire of Mali rose as Ghana was falling. They largely accepted Islam as their religion instead of trying to bring back old ways. However, they did adapt it to fit their own traditions. They also introduced a language! Islam was brought to Africa through traders called Berbers, who were Islamic themselves. To make this transition easy, in order to adapt, they blended Islam with the African traditions. An African king (who I will talk about in just a moment) named Mansa Musa went on a expedition to Arabia which today is known as the Hajj, brought back Muslims to live in Africa and teach his people. Surprisingly, Mansa Musa created the Hajj from this traveling, and became Muslim himself. Mansa Musa was a king who ruled this kingdom of Mali. He ruled over 16,000 people and had LOADS of gold. He was famous back then for how rich he was. He was so rich, he would give out gold to his people. He eventually built houses in Arabia and Egypt. Mansa Musa = Mali’s greatest leader, a strong follower of Islam, led a pilgrimage of 60,000 people, these actions made him famous throughout the world.
Overall Impact
The Muslim traders assisted in the cultural and intellectual development of the people by introducing a new language, a written record of history, Muslim laws, books, and a system of a formal education and study. Mali and its successor the Songhai empire continue the trade system established by Ghana, but will also increase the spread of Islam and develop important educational centers of study. For example, the city of Timbuktu is one of these trading and educational cities that people sought to visit from around the world.
History Plus 