Name ______________________________ 1.3 Trading Kingdoms of West Africa (Notes) Date ________
Trading Kingdoms of West Africa
West Africa developed three great kingdoms that grew wealthy through their control of
trade.
Kingdom of Ghana
1.

2.



3.

Where was the ancient kingdom of Ghana located?
Western Africa along Niger River
How did Ghana’s location lead to wealth and power?
To the north was the Sahara- a source of salt.
Ghana had gold.
Trade and control of salt and gold trade routes made Ghana powerful and wealthy.
How did the religion of Islam reach Ghana?
Arab traders and the Almoravids attacked Ghana in an attempt to force Ghana’s leaders
to convert to Islam.
Kingdom of Mali
4. Why is Sundiata famous?
 As Mali’s ruler, he won back his country’s independence and conquered many
kingdoms.
5. Why did Mansa Musa travel to Mecca?
 As a Muslim, it was his spiritual duty to make a hajj to Mecca.
6. How did Masna Musa travel to Mecca?
 With a huge number of guards and attendants, along with camels carrying comforts,
luxury, and bagsful of gold nuggets, Mansa Musa set out across the desert towards
Mecca (walking and with a few camels).
 Along the way, everywhere he went, he freely gave away gold. You can imagine the
excitement he generated as he traveled from one oasis to the next.
 To reduce the likelihood of a takeover, he had brought with him on his trip most of the
powerful people in his kingdom. He left the army in charge.
7. How did Mansa Musa’s belief in Islam affect the country and people of Mali?
• Mansa Musa stressed the importance of reading and writing Arabic so that people could
read the Qur’an.
• He sent scholars to study in Morocco, and these scholars later set up schools in Mali.
• He also brought in artists and architects to build mosques in Mali.
Songhai Empire
Name ______________________________ 1.3 Trading Kingdoms of West Africa (Notes) Date ________
1.

2.

Where did the Songhai people live?
Along the Niger River in the place where the Kingdom of Mali used to exist.
Do you think the fact that Askia was a Muslim affected the way that he ruled?
Possible answer—He might have encouraged education so that people could read the
Qur’an.
Slaves became a valuable trade item in West Africa.
1. How did slave trading change over time?
 At first, black Africans owned slaves who were captured in war, were criminals, or were
sold to pay debts.
 Gradually, Muslim traders and Europeans began selling black Africans in North America,
Asia, Europe
 Eventually, many enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas.
Kingdom
Ghana
Rise
Famers along the Niger River
(called Soninke) were threatened
by nomadic herders who wanted
the farmers’ water and pastures.
For protection, the families of
farmers banded together, grew,
and formed the Kingdom of Ghana.
The Role of Trade




Mali
Sundiata won back his country’s
independence and conquered many
nearby kingdoms including Ghana.



As salt/gold trade
increased, so did Ghana’s
power.
By 800, Ghana was in
control of West Africa’s
trade routes.
Rulers forced traders who
passed through to pay taxes
on goods.
Used wealth to build army
and empire.
Mansa Musa helped Mali
reach most wealthy,
powerful and famous.
They continued the
salt/gold trade and ruled
important trading cities like
Timbuktu, Djenne and Gao.
They also traded metals,
shells and other goods.
Name ______________________________ 1.3 Trading Kingdoms of West Africa (Notes) Date ________

Mansa Musa conquered Songhai,
which was a nearby kingdom to
Mali. As Mali weakened, Songhai
strengthened. The people of
Songhai took advantage of Mali’s
weakness and took their
independence back and conquered
most of Mali.
Songhai
Similarities

Fall of Ghana,
Mali, and
Songhai


Trade declined and each
kingdom lost power
Each kingdom fell to another
kingdom


Continued with salt/gold
trade in trading cities
already established.
Differences
Ghana declined because of
Almoravids
Mali declined due to poor
leadership
Songhai invaded by
Moroccans, who wanted to
control the salt mines and
change trade patterns