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Medieval Africa. The Rise of African Civilizations Africa’s Government and Traditions African Society and Culture. Africa’s Geography. Africa contains four major climate zones. These include Desert, Mediterranean, Rain Forest, and Savanna.
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Medieval Africa The Rise of African Civilizations Africa’s Government and Traditions African Society and Culture
Africa’s Geography • Africa contains four major climate zones. • These include Desert, Mediterranean, Rain Forest, and Savanna. • Africa is the world’s second largest continent. Africa contains a large rain forest near the equator and a large desert in the north. Between the desert and rain forest, there are large grasslands.
West African Empires • West African empires grew rich from trade. • Many caravans were used to travel across the Sahara Desert. • Many caravans crossed the desert going to and from West Africa and included about 1,000 camels, some caravans may have had as many as 12,000 camels.
Rise of Ghana • Ghana rose to power since it was in the crossroads of many trade routes in northwestern Africa. • Ghana’s rulers charged a tax to anyone crossing the empire to trade. • This made Ghana very rich. • Ghana made weapons of iron and created a huge army. Traders did not dare skip out on paying the tax. • People also would pay whatever it takes to trade expensive items such as gold and salt.
Rise of Mali • Ghana’s farmlands soon became overused making the soil poor. Other gold mines were discovered allowing other lands to become as rich as Ghana. • Ghana’s fall leads to the kingdom of Mali. • Mali won lands from the Atlantic Coast to the trading city of Timbuktu. • Mali controlled most gold mining areas, allowing them to restore the tax on gold and salt trade.
Rise of Songhai • Mali began a slow decline, and the kingdom of Songhai took its place. • They were able to seize power by attacks from a fleet of canoes. • They also took control of many salt mines. • However, the Arab kingdom of Morocco soon attacks with gunpowder, cannons, and guns wiping away Songhai.
Africa’s Salt Mines • Salt mining began in the Sahara in the Middle Ages. Miners worked underground and in sand dunes to get solid blocks of salt. • The western African desert used to be a shallow sea. Once the sea dried up, the salt was left behind. • It is important for people to have a small amount of salt in their diet.
Salt helps people stay healthy. • Salt is lost when people and other mammals sweat. • Salt was also used to keep foods fresh. • Salt was almost like an ancient refrigerator. • Salt was also popular, since it can be added to food for flavor.
Kingdom of the Rain Forest • Africa’s rain forest blocked invaders and provided resources. • Ghana, Mali, and Songhai ruled the savannas, or grasslands, while the Kongo tribe ruled the rain forests. • Farmers had the advantage of having a warm, wet climate to grow their crops. • They were able to grow a surplus, or extra amount, of bananas, yams, and rice.
The Kongo also traded lots of artwork. • Artists excelled at sculpting and carving metal, ivory, and wood. • The rain forest kingdoms would trade with the kingdoms on the savanna. • The Kongo would trade away the surplus food and art for copper, salt, and leather goods. • They also begin to trade away captives from different wars to the Europeans.
Ghana’s Government • The kings of Ghana ruled with the help of a council of advisors. • The kingdom was divided into provinces. • Provinces were divided into districts run by the chief and his clan. • Clan – a group of people descended from the same ancestry. • Nobody could trade without the king’s permission, and the king was the only one that could have gold nuggets.
Mali’s Government • Mali followed the example of Ghana, except on a larger scale. • However, they used four major officials to supervise different areas. • One supervised fishing, while the others oversaw the forests, farming, and money. • Mali’s great king, Mansa Musa, rewarded citizens with gold, land, and horses to keep them loyal.
Songhai’s Government • Songhai tried to copy the ideas set up by Ghana and Mali. • However, kings never fully organized the government. • They spent too much time fighting battles for more land. • Eventually, a Muslim man becomes king and introduces Islam to the region.
Islam in Africa • Islam played an important role in Medieval Africa, but long-held African beliefs and customs still remained strong. • Mansa Musa allowed different religions, but worked to make Islam stronger. • He used the wealth of Mali to build more mosques, or Muslim places of worship. • Mansa Musa made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca, the Muslim holy city, and brought back many fine architects and teachers.
Islam in East Africa • Islam led to the creation of Swahili. • Swahili – culture and language of east Africa. • Swahili is a blend of African and Muslim influences. • Swahili kingdoms were run by sultans. • Sultan – military and political leader with absolute authority over a Muslim country.
Islam’s Impact on Africa • Africans who accepted Islam also adopted Islamic laws and ideas about right and wrong. • Islam also advanced learning. Muslim schools drew students from many parts of Africa and introduced the Arabic language to many Africans. • Islam also influenced African art and buildings.
African Culture • Enslaved Africans developed rich cultures that influenced many other cultures, including the United States. • Artists worked with wood, ivory, and bronze to show faces of important leaders, people, and European traders. • Musical instruments, such as drums, whistles, horns, flutes, and banjos were used to keep musical beats.
