WEST AFRICAN TRADING EMPIRES DATE: AIM: Students will be able to compare and contrast the three major trading empires in Ancient West Africa. DO NOW: A Voice from the Past Pliny, a scholar and naturalist, lived in Rome during the first century AD. The following paragraph expresses his thoughts about the peoples who lived in central Africa at that time. Read the quotation and answer the questions below it. The Atlas tribe is primitive and subhuman. When they observe the rising and setting sun they utter terrible curses against it, as the cause of disaster to themselves and their fields. Nor do they have dreams in their sleep like the rest of mankind. The Blemmyae are reported as being without heads; their mouth and eyes are attached to their chest. The Strapfeet are people with feet like thongs who naturally move by crawling. What was Pliny s view of Africans? Why do you think he developed this view? *Be sure to complete the boxes for each empire!* GHANA, MALI, AND SONGHAI Between A.D. 300 and 1600, three large empires arose in western Africa. They carried on a brisk trade with the Romans and later with the Muslims. The wealth of the rulers of these African empires amazed the traders from the north. The Empire of Ghana. The first western African empire was Ghana. As early as 300 AD, the people of ancient Ghana had mastered the art of ironworking. The period of its greatest power was from the 8 th to the 11 th centuries. Ghana s wealth came from gold. Its rulers controlled the supply of gold from nearby mines. Ghanaian traders exchanged gold, ivory, and slaves for salt and copper brought by Muslim traders from northern Africa. The Muslim traders carried the gold, jewelry, and leather goods of Ghana to Baghdad and other Islamic cities. In return, the Ghanaians also received cloth and tools. WHAT IS A MAJOR REASON FOR THE SUCCESS OF GHANA? The kings of Ghana were so rich that they armed their personal guards with gold swords. The kings even covered their horses with blankets made of gold cloth. Aided by his nobles, the king ruled through a strong centralized government. A large, powerful army backed up his commands. The soldiers carried weapons made of iron. In the mid- 11 th century, North African Berber warriors called Almoravids, conquered Ghana and most of western
Africa. Under Almoravid rule, many members of the royal family of Ghana became Muslims. Eventually, the Empire of Ghana broke up and a neighboring kingdom absorbed it. What would cause one good to have more value than another? Why would the kings of Ghana arm their personal guards with gold swords? Mali Has a Golden Age. In 1235, a Mandingo soldier-hero named Sundiata conquered large areas along the Niger River. The Mandingo people formed the empire of Mali. Some of the land they took over had once been part of Ghana. Now it belonged to the kings of Mali. The area included the gold mines of western Africa. These mines made Mali so prosperous that its wealth became famous throughout Africa and the Middle East. Ivory, cotton, and herds of cattle also contributed to Mali s wealth. By the beginning of the 14 th century, Mali had grown into an empire. Travelers to Mali and its capital, Timbuktu, were impressed by the many commercial activities and by the law and order that gave security to everyone. One such traveler, Ibn Battuta, was particularly impressed by the Mali justice system: WHO WAS IBN BATUTA? EUROPEAN VERSION: They are seldom unjust, and have a greater abhorrence [hatred] of injustice than any other people. Their leader shows no mercy to anyone who is guilty of the least act of it. There is complete security in their country. Neither traveler nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers. Battuta traveled around the known world visiting most Muslim countries and wrote several books about his travels. Some visiting Muslims disapproved of the great freedom exercised by the women of Mali. Unlike women in other Muslim lands, Mali women were free to take an active part in the social and cultural life of the empire. The most important ruler of Mali was Mansa Musa. A devout Muslim, Mansa Musa went on a hajj to Mecca from 1324 to 1325. He stopped in Cairo, Egypt. He brought with him five hundred slaves, each carrying a staff of gold. They were followed by 80 camels, each carrying 300 pounds of gold dust. Hundreds of other camels brought supplies. Thousands and servants and officials completed the procession. An Egyptian official wrote, This man Mansa Musa spread upon Cairo the flood of his generosity: there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him. Mansa Musa gave away so much gold that the value of this precious metal declined for 12 years. Upon his return, he ordered the building of new mosques in Timbuktu, which became the Mali center of commerce,
religion, and knowledge. After the death of Mansa Musa, the power of Mali declined. Another great empire that arose in western Africa, the Songhai, conquered Mali. Why do you think Mansa Musa gave away so much gold? How could the Muslim faith of Mansa Musa affect his empire? The Songhai Empire. As Mali declined in the 1400s, people who had been under its control began to break away. Songhai grew into the most powerful of the empires of western Africa. At its peak, it extended eastward from the Atlantic Ocean to near Lake Chad in central Africa. Songhai s wealth came from its gold trade. Many commercial towns sprang up. Within these towns lived craft workers, businesspeople, judges, doctors, and religious leaders. The Songhai Empire reached its greatest strength at the end of the 15 th century. Askia Muhammad, the most powerful king of the Songhai Empire, ruled from 1493 to 1528. A devout Muslim, he based his laws on the teachings of the Koran. Askia set up a centralized government, a fair system of taxation, and encouraged the establishment of Muslim schools. Under his rule, philosophers, scholars, and teachers increased the reputation of Timbuktu as a center of learning. In the 16 th century, books sold in Timbuktu brought higher prices than did any other merchandise. Such was the value people put on learning. The kings who followed Askia Muhammad were not so strong as he. They could not defend the empire against its enemies. As a result, Songhai fell to the army of the sultan of Morocco in 1591. Why might the people who had been conquered by Mali want to break away? Imagine you are a European Christian ruler. What might your reaction be to these societies that you have never heard of before?
AFRICAN EMPIRES VENN DIAGRAM Directions: Using what you learned about the trading empires of West Africa, complete the Venn Diagram by comparing and contrasting the three empires. Be sure you include similarities and differences in the correct area of the Venn Diagram. GHANA MALI SONGHAI
Trading Empires of West Africa Review Outline Directions: Using your notes from this packet complete the following outline. I. Empires traditional a. (300-1076) 1. strong gov t 2. huge quantities of traded for b. (1235-1400) Golden Age 1. Mansa (emperor) spread throughout his empire, built 2. city of center of commerce, learning, & 3. traveled to most Muslim countries; wrote books about his. c. (1400-1591) 1. gold trade 2. of taxation, centralized
Trading Empires of West Africa Review Outline: Answer Key Directions: Using your notes from this packet complete the following outline. I. West African Empires traditional trading economies a. Ghana (300-1076) 1. strong centralized gov t 2. huge quantities of gold traded for salt b. Mali (1235-1400) Golden Age 1. Mansa (emperor) Musa spread Islam throughout his empire, built mosques 2. city of Timbuktu center of commerce, learning, & Islamic life 3. Ibn Battuta traveled to most Muslim countries; wrote books about his travels. c. Songhai (1400-1591) 1. gold trade 2. fair system of taxation, centralized gov t