Lesson 2: The Empire of Ghana (pp. 112-117)
THINKING FOCUS
• What effect did trade have on the people of Ghana?
KEY TERMS
• Matrilineal
• Patrilineal
• (Mom & Pop)
A New Trade Center
• Between the 700s and 1500s, large trading empires
flourished in West Africa.
• Ghana was an ancient agricultural kingdom of the Soninke
people.
• Berber tribes from North Africa raised horses and camels.
More trade
• Rich in gold and centrally-located, Ghana became the first of the
African trading empires, lasting from around A.D. 300 to 1235.
• From the south came kola nuts, palm oil, copper, and gold. From
the north, came imported items like ceramics, glass and oil
lamps--and, of course, salt.
• Taxes collected on goods passing through Ghana allowed the empire
to grow wealthy.
Iron helps
• Under the Soninke kings, Ghana became a wealthy trading
empire. The Soninke easily conquered neighboring peoples
because their iron weapons were far superior to the stone
ones of their opponents.
• (How will they stand up against guns!)
A Divided Capital
• In Koumbi, Ghana's capital, the gold and salt trade
created the wealthiest marketplace in West Africa.
• Koumbi's market people also bought and sold cattle, honey,
dates, cloth, ivory, and ebony.
• In other shops at the market, local farmers sold their
produce and craftspeople sold their wares.
More…
• The city of Koumbi, like many Ghana trading cities, was
divided into two sections -- one to house the Muslim
traders, the other to house local people.
• A six-mile-long boulevard linked the two sections of
Koumbi.
A Tale of Two Cities
• The Muslim side had 12 mosques and the homes of Muslim traders.
• Many of the buildings there were constructed of stone, and some
had two stories.
• This section was also home to the huge Koumbi market.
• The Soninke section of the capital looked very different. It was a
walled city, and most of its one-story houses were made of wood or
clay, with straw roofs.
• The king lived in this section in a large wood and stone palace.
The former capital of the Ghana Empire. It lies in what is now south
east Mauritania.
New Religion
• Arab merchants trading in West Africa brought not only
valuable goods, but also new ideas about writing, numbers,
and religion.
• Arab traders brought the first system of writing and
numbers to West Africa.
• Many West Africans converted to Islam, and some who did
still did not give up all of their traditional beliefs and
practices.
Conversion to Islam
• Among the first of the converts to Islam were the Mandinke
people from the southern Sahara, who served as middlemen
in trade between Arab caravans and Wangara gold miners.
• The Mandinke formed small trade companies that made
contact with many different people.
• They spread Islamic ideas throughout West Africa.
Mosque in Timbuktu
Traditions…
• Other Islamic practices were harder for the Ghanaians to accept.
Muslims, for example, had their own idea about the succession of
kings. In Ghana when a king died, he was not succeeded by his
own son but by the son of his sister. This system of tracing
succession through the females of the family is known as
matrilineal succession. Muslims, on the other hand, practiced
patrilineal succession, in which the throne passes from father to
son.
Grand Mosque in Mali
A Fallen Empire
• Along the northernmost coast of Africa, Berber peoples
ruled the region called the Maghreb.
• In the mid-1000s, invaders made war for control of Ghana.
• Eventually, the neighboring kingdom of Mali overthrew the
Soninke king and became the major power in West Africa.
More…
• King Sumanguru, who wanted to rebuild Ghana's empire, ruled one
of these kingdoms.
• In 1203, he overthrew the Soninke king and took over Koumbi.
Meanwhile, a new kingdom to the east called Mali, ruled by the
Mandinke, was steadily gaining power.
• In 1235, the king of Mali defeated Sumanguru and Mali replaced
Ghana as the major power in West Africa.
Section 2:
Kingdoms and States of Africa
Kingdom of Ghana
 Emerged c. 500 AD and was located in the
upper Niger River Valley, between the Sahara
and the tropical rain forests along the West
African coast.
 The area was agricultural.
 The leaders were strong rulers who governed
without any laws. They played an active role
in running the kingdom and they were very
wealthy.

The Land of Gold

The kings of Ghana had well
trained armies and used them as their basis for power.

Ghana also had a great supply of gold. This gold was
traded for salt which was used to preserve their food
and to also help prevent dehydration in the hot climate.
The Kingdom of Ghana
• Emerged in 5th century. Located on the upper Niger
River valley, between the Sahara & the tropical
forests along Western African coast.
• Strong rulers without any laws. Had large army to
protect kingdom.
• Most people were farmers.
• Prospered due to an abundant supply of iron ore &
gold. Traded for metal goods, textiles, horses, &
salt. Salt important- preserve & flavor food and
replace body salt.
• Skilled in making tools & weapons from iron ore.
• Berbers took trade across desert using camels.
• Flourished for several hundred years and collapsed
due to wars around 1200.
What was Ghana?
an empire in West
Africa
What twp items did the economy of Ghana
depend on for trade?
Gold and salt
How did the people of Ghana increase the value of the
gold they traded?
By keeping the gold a secret
How did the king of Ghana get rich?
By taxing trade
What religion did Ghana’s kings follow?
Both Islam and traditional African religions