Im the mid 400s, a group of
primarily nomadic people
formed at kingdom just
south the Sahara Desert. This
was called Ghana
They built their
capital city,
Kumbi-Saleh, right
on the edge of the
Sahara Desert.
While Kumbi-Saleh was
the capital if Ghana, it
was actually two cities,
six miles away
connected by a road.
Religion
Their center of
Kumbi-Saleh,
contained a grove
filled with trees for
religious practices.
It was inhabited by Arab
and Berber merchants,
and house almost a
dozen mosques
Achievements
Gradually, Ghana
grew very rich
form the
Trans-Saharan
Trade route.
As Ghana grew
richer, the
kingdom
expanded into
an empire.
They began to use
camels to carry goods
across the Sahara
Desert.
Economy
From the north
came salt; west
came with the rich
resources of gold,
ivory, and other
goods.
Ghana was
located in the
middle of the salt
and gold trade
routes.
The king required
traders to give him a
portion of their goods,
and if they had gold,
they would have to
give him a portion of
their gold.
The king, or
ghana, also put
a tax on the
local goldmines.
Social Structure
The most important
part of Kumbi-Saleh
was the center. This
was protected by
large walls, and was a
political and religious
center.
The king lived in the
center of the capital,
which was a
religious and
political center for
Kumbi-Saleh.
Politics
The kingdom was
ruled by a king,
or ghana.
The ghana was
the supreme
judge of the
kingdom
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Geology
Mali, located in the Sahel, a
grassland region on the
southern border of the Sahara
Desert, became powerful by
controlling the rich
trans-Saharan trade routes
between northern and western
Africa, especially because of
the gold trade.
Mali was located in a
agriculturally rich area
along the upper Niger
river.
Religion
Timbuktu, an
important city in Mali,
became one of the
major cultural centers
not only of Africa, but
of the entire world.
Vast libraries
and Islamic
universities
were built.
Achievements
Control of the Niger
river grew Mali into
an empire.
At the time Sundiata's rule,
the empire of Mali
extended over 1,000 miles
form east to west and Mali
took over the gold and salt
trade.
Sundiata is also said to
have introduced the
cultivation and weaving
of cotton into the area.
Mansa Musa was Mali's
greatest king, ruling from
1312 to 1337 CE.
During his rule, he
doubled the land area
of Mali; its became
larger than any empire
in Europe at the time.
The cities of Mali
became important
trading centers for all of
West Africa.
Politics
After the death of Mansa Musa, the
power of Mali began to decline.
Mansa Musa's sons
could not hold the
empire together
In 1430 C.E., the Berber in
north took much of Mali's
territory, including the city
of Timbuktu, and gradually
Mali lost its hold on tad until
it crumbled.
Economy
Social Structure
The rulers of Mali
came to be called
"mansa,"
meaning
"emperor" or
"master"