Western African Civilizations: Ghana, Mali, Songhai�Essential Question: How did trade routes lead to cultural diffusion?

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John Green Western Africa Video

We will look at 4 African Kingdoms

General Info…�Trade Routes, Migration, Cultural Diffusion

• The Bantu were a Group of people who originally lived in West Africa
• Migrated in search of fertile land
• Spread their knowledge of farming, ironworking, & LANGAUGE across the continent
• Today almost 1/3 of Africans speak a language derived from the Bantu
• Was this an example of cultural diffusion? Why or why not?

General Trade info… Gold & Salt

• The Sahel region lacks salt deposits, and so people there had to trade for salt from the Sahara Desert
• Several powerful empires developed around the trade of gold and salt and would control much of Western Africa for almost 1,000 years

General Trade info… Camels

• Camels allowed the gold-salt trade to be successful. They allowed people to transport great quantities of gold and salt longer distances.
• Other pack animals cannot cross the Sahara, but camels can because they can go up to 40 days without water.
• Camels are also very strong and able to carry heavy loads. They have double rows of long eyelashes to keep the sand out during sand storms

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Did you know…

-Camels can withstand dry arid temperatures during the day and don’t even sweat until it is at least 106 degrees, and they do well when temperatures get cold at night

Ghana 300-1000 AD�a.k.a. “The Land of Gold”

• The first of the West African trading kingdoms
• No one is really sure when the Ghana kingdom began, but they do know that it became very powerful
• Through weapon making technology (iron smelting), Ghanaian warriors expanded boundaries
• Gained control over trade routes
• Ghana became powerful because of its control of gold in the gold-salt trade across the Sahara Desert

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• It is located between the Niger River

and the Sahara Desert…Benefits of living here??

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Ghana

• Gold Salt Trade
• Location! Location! Location!
• Ghana was located in the midway between Saharan salt mines and tropical gold mines
• Caravans of Muslim merchants brought goods, which Ghanaian people exchanged for gold
• Trade conducted via the silent trade
• Muslims brought their religion to the people of Ghana

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• Ghana eventually declined in power, mostly because it lost its control of the gold trade and because new gold mines were found farther east

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Ghana Video and Notes

• Add to your frame:
• Years: 300-1000 AD
• Leader: King Tenkamenin, Religion: Islam
• Had so much gold, they traded it for salt
• Muslims used trade routes to spread religion of Islam
• Charged traders for protection and “safe travel”

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• Video: Ghana Empire

Mali 1200-1600 AD

• As Ghana declined in the 1200’s AD, the kingdom of Mali gained in power.
• Mali was centered around these new salt mines east of Ghana
• Controlled the gold and salt trade.
• Profited greatly from the slave trade.
• Traded with Egypt and the copper mines to the east.

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• Mali’s powerful king Sundiata Keita built an even larger empire
• He was the founder and first leader of Mali

Mali

• Mansa Musa (Islamic Leader)
• Another important King of Mali
• Devout Muslim king
• Bases legal and justice system on the Qur’an
• Greatly extended territory and power of Mali
• Known for Making Hajj (holy trip) to Mecca, but stops in Egypt first
• In 1324, he Traveled with somewhere between 12,000- 60,000 people each wearing silk & carrying gold bars, which were given to the poor.
• It is said he also took 80 camels carrying 300 lbs of gold each.

Mali

• Mansa Musa
• Brings back Islamic scholars and architects to Mali
• Has Timbuktu built
• Timbuktu
• Center of learning and art
• Increased Islamic influence in West Africa
• Use of credit
• Written contracts
• Education for many classes

Timbuktu

• Mali established the city, Timbuktu, which was a center for trade and learning.
• Universities were established to promote learning
• Many converted to Islam, and built mosques.
• Muslim scholars came from all over the world

to study religion, math, music, law and literature

Mali Video and Notes

• Add to your frame:
• Years: 1200-1600 AD
• Leader: Sundiata Keita, Mansa Musa, Religion: Islam
• Replaced Ghana as main trading kingdom
• Traded gold, salt, slaves
• Had Timbuktu…center for LEARNING & trade

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• Video: Mali Empire

Songhai 1400-1600AD

• Eventually, Mali declined, and Songhai took its place and built an even larger empire
• Songhai was also based on the gold-salt trade
• Inherited much of Mali’s blend of Islamic traditions
• Included all of the land that the Kingdom of Mali once owned.

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• Songhai was a Muslim kingdom, Islam was a unifying force for the people and an important factor for maintaining state power.

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Songhai

• The largest of the 3 major West African kingdoms
• Took control of Timbuktu
• Expanded trade to Europe and Asia
• Time of great cultural diffusion
• Askia Muhammad a.k.a. Askia the Great

sets up high functioning bureaucracy: a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

• 5 provinces each with
• A governor
• Tax collector
• Judges (Like Mansa Musa, had laws based on Qur’an)
• Trade inspectors

Songhai

• 1591- Moroccans raided Taghaza’s salt mine and the Songhai were defeated at the Battle of Tongdibi.
• The empire never recovered.

Songhai Video and Notes

• Add to your frame:
• Years: 1400-1600 AD
• Leaders: Sunni Ali and Askia the Great, Religion: Islam
• Controlled salt and gold mines. Also traded fish.
• Expanded trade to Europe and Asia, time of great cultural diffusion
• Were eventually taken by the Moroccans, and their economy never recovered

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• Video: Songhai

The East African Kingdom-�Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe

• Rise to Power
• Originally derived wealth from herds of cattle
• Then found gold in central part of kingdom
• Location, Location, Location
• Like Ghana, located between trading posts, but on Indian Ocean
• Evidence of trade with Syria, and Persia
• Great Zimbabwe served as middleman between gold miners, ivory hunters in southern Africa, traders on coast
• Middleman is person who buys something from one person, sells to another, making profit on sale

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Great Zimbabwe

• Built consistently throughout 1200-1450AD, the ruins at Great Zimbabwe are some of the oldest and largest structures located in Southern Africa.

• At its peak, estimates are that the ruins of Great Zimbabwe had as many as 18,000 inhabitants. The ruins that survive are built entirely of stone.

Great Zimbabwe

• Disappearance
• for reasons unknown
• Historians best guess…
• No one knows why Zimbabwe was abandoned, but they think it was because the land was over grazed by cattle and the soil depleted, new land needed to be

found to feed the people.

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• While there is little known about Great Zimbabwe, its size and influence on the region is just recently being rediscovered.
• We know Islam was spread throughout Great Zimbabwe like the other African Kingdoms.

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Zimbabwe Video and Notes

• Add to your frame:
• Years: 1200-1450 AD
• Leaders: unknown, Religion: Islam
• Made money from being the Middleman and making profit on sales
• Traded gold and ivory
• Theory is… ended due to overused land, moved to find more food

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• Video: Great Zimbabwe

How trade routes led to cultural diffusion

African civilizations were known for controlling trade of salt and gold, practicing Islam and promoting learning.

Additional Activities

• Day 1 & 2, Go through Powerpoint, fill in frame, show videos
• Africa’s Trading Empire’s textbook article and answer questions 1-7 on accompanying worksheet
• African States and Trade Atlas 62

Additional Information/ Websites

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4chapter1.shtml
• http://www.ducksters.com/history/africa/empire_of_ancient_ghana.php