Chapter 13 – History of West Africa
Section Notes
Video
Empire of Ghana
Mali and Songhai
Historical and Artistic Traditions
Impact of the Salt Trade
Close-up
Timbuktu
Quick Facts
Chapter 13 Visual Summary
Maps
West Africa, 500 BC-AD 1650
Ghana Empire, c. 1050
Mali and Songhai
Assessment Map: West Africa
Images
Religion
Salt Trade
Overgrazing
Oral Traditions
Empire of Ghana
The Big Idea
The rulers of Ghana built an empire by controlling the salt
and gold trade.
Main Ideas
• Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.
• Through its control of trade, Ghana built an empire.
• Attacking invaders, overgrazing, and the loss of trade
caused Ghana’s decline.
Main Idea 1:
Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.
Sometime after 300 the first farmers in Ghana, the Soninke,
were threatened by nomadic herders. The Soninke began to
band together for protection, forming the beginnings of Ghana.
They grew in strength, learning to work with iron. They used
iron farm tools to produce more food, allowing the population
to increase. They also made superior iron weapons.
Ghana lay between the vast Sahara Desert and deep forests, a
good position to trade in the region’s most valuable resources,
gold and salt.
Gold and Salt
Gold
Salt
• Gold came from the
south, from mines near
the Gulf of Guinea and
along the Niger.
• Salt came from the
Sahara in the north.
People needed salt to
survive.
• People wanted gold for
its beauty.
• It could preserve food,
and made bland food
tasty.
Trading Gold and Salt
• The exchange of gold and salt sometimes followed a silent
barter process in which people exchange goods without ever
contacting each other directly.
– Helped ensure traders did business peacefully
– Kept exact location of gold mines a secret from salt traders
• As trade increased, Ghana’s rulers gained power.
– Their military strength grew as well.
– Began to take control of trade routes
– Rulers of Ghana became wealthy.
• Additional sources of wealth and trade included wheat, sheep,
cattle, honey, leather, cloth, and tassels made from golden
thread.
• As trade increased, Ghana’s capital, Koumbi Saleh became West
Africa’s largest city and a great trading center.
Main Idea 2:
Through its control of trade, Ghana built
an empire.
By 800 Ghana was firmly in control of West Africa’s trade
routes.
Traders were protected by Ghana’s army.
Ghana’s rulers made money by forcing traders to pay taxes.
The people of Ghana also had to pay taxes, and conquered
neighboring tribes had to pay tribute.
Ghana’s mines produced huge amounts of gold, which was
officially the property of the king.
The rulers banned anyone else in Ghana from owning gold
nuggets. Common people could own only gold dust.
Expansion of the Empire
• Ghana’s kings used their wealth to build a powerful army
and conquer many of their neighbors. Many conquered
areas were trade centers, bringing more wealth.
• Travel and communication were difficult in their large
empire, so they allowed conquered kings to retain much
of their power.
• The empire of Ghana reached its peak under Tunka Manin.
Main Idea 3:
Attacking invaders, overgrazing,
and the loss of trade caused Ghana’s decline.
Invasion
Overgrazing
• The Muslim
Almoravids attacked
Ghana in the 1060s.
• The Almoravids
brought herds of
animals with them.
• Destroyed the city
of Koumbi Saleh
• The animals
overgrazed, leaving
the soil to blow
away.
• They cut off trade
routes and formed
new partnerships
with Muslim
leaders.
• Without trade,
Ghana could no
longer support its
empire.
• Unable to grow
crops, many
farmers had to
leave.
Internal Rebellion
• In about 1200 the
people of one of the
areas Ghana had
conquered rose up
in rebellion.
• Within a few years
the rebels had
taken over Ghana.
• Weakened, Ghana
was defeated by
one of its
neighbors.
Mali and Songhai
The Big Idea
Between 1000 and 1500 the empires of Mali and Songhai
developed in West Africa.
Main Ideas
• The empire of Mali reached its height under the ruler
Mansa Musa, but the empire fell to invaders in the 1400s.
• The Songhai built a new Islamic empire in West Africa,
conquering many of the lands that were once part of Mali.
Main Idea 1:
The empire of Mali reached its height
under the ruler Mansa Musa,
but the empire fell to invaders in the 1400s.
Mali lay along the upper Niger River.
The area had fertile soil and trade on the river.
In the 1200s a harsh ruler conquered Mali. Sundiata was a boy at the
time, but as an adult, he built up an army, won back his country’s
independence, and conquered nearby kingdoms, including Ghana.
Sundiata took over the salt and gold trades, worked to improve
agriculture, and introduced cotton as a crop.
He took power away from local leaders and adopted their title of mansa
for himself. This gave him both political and religious authority in
society.
Sundiata died in 1255.
Mansa Musa
•
Mali’s most famous ruler was a Muslim named Mansa Musa who ruled
from 1312 to 1337.
•
Mali reached the height of its wealth, power, and fame in the 1300s,
and Islam spread through a large part of West Africa.
•
During his reign Mali added many important trade cities to its empire,
including Timbuktu.
•
In 1324 Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca, spreading Mali’s
fame far and wide.
•
He supported education, stressed the importance of learning to read
Arabic, and hired Muslim architects to build mosques. A mosque is a
building for Muslim prayer.
•
When Mansa Musa died, his son Maghan, a weak ruler, took the throne.
•
Raiders invaded from the southeast and set fire to Timbuktu.
•
In 1431 the Tuareg, nomads from the Sahara, seized Timbuktu.
•
By 1500 only a small area of Mali remained.
Main Idea 2:
The Songhai built a new Islamic empire in
West Africa, conquering many of the lands
that were once part of Mali.
From their capital at Gao, the Songhai kingdom participated in the
same trade that had made Ghana and Mali rich.
Songhai had been part of the Mali Empire, but as the empire weakened
in the 1400s, the people of Songhai rebelled.
Songhai leaders shared Islam with the North African Berbers, so the
Berbers were willing to trade with the Songhai.
Sunni Ali, who became ruler of the Songhai in 1464, worked to unify,
strengthen, and enlarge his empire.
Sunni Ali encouraged everyone to work together. To build religious
harmony, he participated in both Muslim and local religions.
Askia the Great
• Muhammad Ture led a successful rebellion against non-Muslim
king.
– Eventually, he became known as Askia the Great.
• Askia supported education and learning.
– Timbuktu became known for its schools, particularly the University
of Sankore.
– Djenné was another city that became a center of learning.
• As Songhai’s Muslim traders gained influence in the empire, so
did Islam.
– Askia encouraged the growth of Islamic influence.
• Askia set up five provinces within Songhai with loyal appointed
governors.
• He created a professional army with specialized departments.
Songhai Falls to Morocco
• Morocco wanted control of
Songhai’s salt mines.
• The Moroccan army
attacked in 1591, carrying
advanced weapons,
including the arquebus.
• The invaders destroyed
Timbuktu and Gao.
• Overland trade declined as
port cities on the Atlantic
coast became more
important.
• Africans south of Songhai
and Europeans both
preferred trading at
Atlantic ports to dealing
with Muslim traders.
Historical and Artistic Traditions
The Big Idea
West African culture has been passed down
through oral history, writings by other people,
and the arts.
Main Ideas
• West Africans have preserved their history through
storytelling and the written accounts of visitors.
• Through art, music, and dance, West Africans have
expressed their creativity and kept alive their cultural
traditions.
Main Idea 1:
West Africans have preserved their history
through storytelling and
the written accounts of visitors.
Early West Africans did not have a native written language. They
passed along information through oral histories. An oral history is a
spoken record of past events.
The task of remembering and telling their history was entrusted to the
griots, the storytellers of early West Africa.
In addition to stories, the griots recited proverbs, or short sayings of
wisdom or truth.
Some of the griot poems are epics, long poems about kingdoms and
heroes. Many of these are collected in the Dausi and the Sundiata.
Visitors also wrote about the region. Ibn Battutah was the most famous
Muslim visitor to write about West Africa. From 1353 to 1354 he
traveled through the region and wrote about his journey.
Main Idea 2:
Through art, music, and dance,
West Africans have expressed their creativity
and kept alive their cultural traditions.
Sculpture
• Ornate statues and carvings out of wood,
brass, clay, ivory, stone, and other materials
• Usually of people
• Often made for religious rituals
• Elaborate masks of painted wood
Masks
• Bore the faces of animals such as hyenas,
lions, monkeys, and antelopes
• Worn during rituals
Cloth, Music, and Dance
• The most famous is kente.
Cloth
• Kente is a hand-woven, brightly colored
fabric.
• Cloth woven in narrow strips then sewn
together
Music
• Singing and drumming performed as
entertainment
• Also used to honor history and mark special
occasions
• Central part of African society
Dance
• Used to celebrate specific events or
ceremonies
• Some dances today from many years ago
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