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Lesson 3: African Empires

7. 4 .1 Study the Niger River and the relationship of vegetation zones of forest, savannah, and desert to

trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves; and the growth of the Ghana and Mali empires.

A. Rise of Ghana Circa 400-1200

1. The first of 3 great western Africa trading empires. 2. Rose to power in the A.D. 400s. 3. The people of Ghana were known as the Soninke 4. VERY WEALTHY! – Located where several trade routes came

together. • Ghana’s rulers charged a fee for people to pass

through Ghana (which was necessary to get to all trade routes). • This made Ghana very wealthy. • They also had a powerful army (with iron

weapons)      

Ghana  

Wangarans  (Gold)  

North  Africans  (Salt)  

5. There was NO GOLD mined in Ghana – However, the King of Ghana still controlled the

gold trade and gold mines – Most of the gold came from the South, from

people known as the Wangarans

6. Ghana also controlled a large portion of the Niger River 7. Salt was the main good they traded. –  People from the south (Wangarans) needed

salt to flavor and preserve food (meat) –  Preserving food led to settling

     

Salt Mining

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B. The weakening of Ghana

1.  Gold was discovered in areas that were not controlled by Ghana.

2.  Heavy farming robbed the soil of minerals and made growing crops difficult.

3.  There was constant warfare. – Ghana was invaded – destroyed the capital city of Koumbi – Although invasions weren’t always successful =

weakened the empire – Ghana eventually fell after nearly 800 years of

rule  

C.  Rise of Mali circa 1200 - 1450

1.  In the 1200s, the Empire of Mali took over the area of Ghana.

2.  The people of Mali were known as the Mandinke.

3.  Sundiata (“Lion Prince”) - a great warrior king – seized the capital of Ghana in 1240. – Controlled Timbuktu – Gained control of gold mining areas,

rebuilding gold and salt trade.  

4. Mansa Musa became King in 1307 – Last strong King of Mali – Raised a powerful army – Devout Muslim – Built mosques and libraries

     

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D. Mali’s Deterioration

1.  Mali grew to twice the size of Ghana 2.  Mali thrived for over 200 years 3.  Invasions by the Berbers in the north,

Songhai in the west, and people from the south weakened the empire.

4.  Musa’s brother was the last leader; he died in 1359

1. Developed as Mali declined – Songhai spent

many years under Malian control; the city of Gao finally gained independence in mid-1400’s

             

E. Songhai (circa 1350 – 1600)

- At its height, Songhai was larger than Mali and Ghana combined!

2.  The Empire Under Askia Muhammad - Devout Muslim; built many mosques;

spread Islam throughout his kingdom. - United people by organizing strong government - Empire became center of learning, people came from all over to study at Universities - Considered a great African leader, well- respected even today

***All 3 Great Empires grew and thrived via trade, and they all traded with the Muslim

world

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Review •  Why is it somewhat false to call Ghana “The

Kingdom of Gold”? •  What are the people of Ghana called? •  Why was salt valuable? •  What is the tallest Mountain in Africa? •  What are the 4 main geographical regions of

Africa? •  What were 2 main reasons that Ghana was so

powerful? •  What group contributed to the weakening of

Ghana?

F.  Government & Society in the empires

•  Turn to pages 228-229 in your textbook. •  Fill out the chart below about how each of the

empires was ruled. Ghana Mali Songhai