The followingpassage
is
[torttTruyehin Asiaand
Africa 1325 1354,writtenby
a North African merchant
namedIbn Battutah.He
describes
a journeythrough
the Sahara.
1'[W]epassedten daysof discomfort
because
the waterthereis bitterandthe
placeisplaguedwith f lies.. . . We passed
a
caravanon the way andtheytold usthat
someof their partyhad becomeseparated
from them.We foundone of them dead
undera shrubof the sortthat growsin the
sand...."
Practicethe Slcill
Readthe passage
above.Then follow the
stepsin Learnthe Skill to decideifit is a
reliablesource.
\\rhen wasthe passage
w tten?Would
this information be more reliableif it
had beenwritten more recentlf?
Explainwhy or why not.
I
$ hatqualifies
rheaulhorlo describe
the Sahara?Do you think he wasan
accurateobserver?
Identif. an exampleof loadedlanguage
in thepassage.
Couldthis statementbe
provedtrue or false?Is it possiblethat
the writer hasleft importantinforma
tion out ofhis account?
Do you considerthis passage
a reliable
source?
How might your purposein
usi[g the passage
affectyoul decision?
Sand dunes in the Sahara
Objectives
you will
In thissection,
1. Learnaboutthe tradingkingdoms
of the WestAffican savanna.
2. Investigatethe kingdomsof the West
Africanrain forests.
Taking Notes
Asyoureadthissedion,lookfor the main
ideasand detailsaboutdifferentAfrican
cultures.
Createan outlineof the section
usingthe examplebelowasa model.
I. Kingdoms of the savanna
A. G hana
1.
2.
B.
.
Mansa Musa, the king of Mali
44 MedievalTimesto Today
Target
ReadingSkill
Key Terms
. MansaMusa(MAHN
sah
Moo
sah)
n.
a
king
of
ParaphraseWhenyou
paraphrase,
you restate
Mali in the 1300s
. Mali(MAH
lee)n. a rich
what you havereadin your
kingdomof the West
own words,Forexample,
Africansavanna
you couldparaphrase
the
.
Ghana(cAHnuh)r. the
firstparagraph
belowthis
first WestAfricankingwayr"Thousands
of people
dom basedon the gold
anddozensof camels
gold
andsalttrade
carrying
marchedin
.
songhai(SAWNG
hy) n. a
a group,"
powerfulkingdomof
As you readthis section,
paraphrase
the WestAfrican
the information
savanna
aftereachredor blue
lle-lfe(EElay EEfay) n.
heading.
the capitalof a kingdom
of the WestAfricanrain
forest
Benin(behNEEN)
n. a
kingdomof the West
Africanrainforest
Soldie.s * hose,-ords h ung fromgoldcbajn" rodehorses
decorated with gold, Hundreds of governmentofficialsmarched
alongwith the soldiers.Thousandsofslaves,eachone dressedin
silk and carrying a staff made of gold, also accompaniedthe
marchers,The processionincludedmore than 60,000peopleand
dozensof carnels,eachcamelloadedwith many pounds of gold.
This sight greetedthe astonishedpeopleof Qairo,Eg)?t, one
day in July 1324.It was the camvanof Mansa Musa (MAHNsah
Moo sah),the powerfulking of Mali, in WestAfrica.The caravan
wastravelingfrom Mali acrossNorth Africa. MansaMusa was
performinghis duty as a Muslim by travelingto the Southwest
Asian city of Mecca,the holiestcity of Islam.Many yearslater,
peoplein Egypt were still talking about MansaMusa'samazing
visit-and about the amount of gold that he and his ofiicials
had spent.
.//
:/
f"
Kingdomsof the Savanna
MansaMusa ruled Mali (MAHlee),a rich ldngdom of the West
Aliican savanna.The kingdoms of the savannacontrolled
importanttraderoutesacrossthe Sahara.
The Niger River,which
flows through the region, was another important tuaderoute.
Traderstravelingthrough theselands had to pay ta-teson all
their goods.This madethe kingdomsrich. In retum, the rulers
kept peaceand order throughout the land. Thus, merchants
and their caravansof valuablegoods-could travel safelyfrom
oneplaceto another.
Ghana, a Kingdom Built on Trade Saltand gold werethe
basisof WestAfricantrade.Most of the saltcamefrom minesin
the centralSahara.Saltwasveryvaluable.Peopleneededit to fla
vor food,to preser-ve
meat,andto maintaingoodhealth.Saltwas
scarcein the rain forestregion.Sopeoplefrom the forestregion
ofWest Africa soldgold in exchange
for salt.Somegoldwassold
to traderson their way to North Africa. Thesetradersreturned
with glassand other preciousNorth African goods.Traders
could travel hundredsof miles acrossthe dry Saharabecause
their camelscouldtravelfor dayswithouLwaLer.
The lirst \\restAfrican kinsdom to be basedon the wealthof
the saltand goldtradewasGhana(cen nuh). By aboutA.D.400,
the peopleof Ghanatook control of the trade routesacrcssthe
Sahara.
Ghana'slocationwasideal.Find Ghanaon the map tided
Civilizationsof Africa,on page35. Ghanawasjust north of the
rich gold lields.Landroutessouthftom the Saharawent through
Ghana.By aboutA.D800,Ghanawasa major tradingkingdom.
Th€ Salt Tfade in Africa
Camel(aravans
liketheoneshownat
the bottom of the pagecarfiedslabs
of saltfrom talt minesin the Sahara.
Slabsof saltwere traded in markets
likethe one below,in Moptf Mali.
Apply Information WhenVaders
from the forestregionhought salt,
what night they haveoffercd in
Chapter 2 Se(tion 2 45
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
the
paragraphat the right
in 25 words or fewer.
The Great Mosque at Dienn6
The mosqueb€low is in the city of
Djenn€,an importanttradingcenler
in the kingdoms
of MaliandSonghai.A mosqueis a Muslimplac€oJ
worship.Analyze lmages 1,4/bat
does the scaleof this nosque suq
gest about the inportance of lslan
to people in this region?
Ghana'scapital, Kumbi Saleh,was divided into two cities.
One wasthe centerof trade.The other wasthe roval citv.where
the king had his court and handeddown his decisions.Around
A.D.1000,the power of Ghanabeganto weal(en.InvadersIiom
the north overan the capital and other cities.By the 1200s,
Ghanahad brokeninto small,independentstates.Soon,most of
the trade in the areawas controlled by a powerful new kingdom,
the kingdomof Mali.
The Powerful Kingdom of Mali Mali was centeredin the
Upper Niger Vallel. Under the leadershipof Sundiata(sun IAH
tah), who united the kingdom about 1230,Mali took control of
the salt and gold tuade.Sundiataconqueredsurroundingareas
and increasedthe sizeof the kingdom.By 1255,when Sundiata
died, Mali had grown rich from trade.It had becomethe most
powerfulkingdomin WestAfrica.Mali continuedto grow in the
yearsafterSundiata'sdeath.
In 1312,Mansa Musa becameruler of Mali. By this time,
traders ftom North Afiica had brought a new religion, Islam, to
WestAfrica.Muslims,or peoplewho practiceIslam,worshipone
god.MansaMusagreadyerpandedhis kingdomand madeIslam
the ofdcial religion. Mansa Musa'strip to the holy city of Mecca
creatednew tiesbetweenMali and the Muslim peoDlesof North
Africa and Southwest
Asia.
A <arving showing
a king of Benin
Kingdomof Ghana,
400-1000
Kingdomof lle-lfe, Kingdomof Benin,
1000-1400
1200-1897
Kingdomof Mali.
1200-1450
. 1230 Sundiata(omes to
power in Mali.
clay Iisure from Mali
iiir-qcl
o!r $f ssn{thai"
'!450-1500
" 1468 Songhaicaptures
Tombouctou.
. 1324 The rulerMansa
'1.19:The rulerAskia
"
Musa goes on a
Muhammadsets
pilgrimageto Mecca
up a Muslimdynasty
and visits Cairo.
in Songhai.
During his 25-yearrule, MansaMusa used his new ties to
theseMuslim peoplesto makeMali a centeroflearning.Scholars
cameto teachreligion,mathematics,medicine,and law In the
late 1300s,however about 50 yearsafter MansaMusa diedMali's porverbeganto fade.Raidersattackedfrorrr the north,
and fighting broke out within the kingdom. Severalprovinces
broke away and becameindependent.One of these former
provincesbecamean empire in its own right. It rvas called
Songhai(s.twNchy).
The Rise and Fall of Songhai Songhaibecarne
the leading
kingdom ofthe WestAfricansavannaduring the 1400s.Like the
rulers of Ghana and Mali, Songhai'sleaderscontrolled trade
routes and the sourcesof salt and gold. Songhai'swealth and
powergrewwhenit conqueredthe rich tradingcity ofTombouctou in 1468.Find Songhaior the map titled Civilizationsof
Africa or page35.
In lessthan 100 years,however,the kingdom of Songhai
beganto lose power.In the late 1500s,the people of So[ghai
beganfighting amongthemselves.
The kingdom becameweaker.
And it easilyfell to the guns and cannonsof an army from
Morocco,in North Aftica, The era of the rich and powerful
tmding empiresof WestAfricawasat an end.
rH: TimelineSkills
Thistimelineshowsfive
WestA{ricankingdoms.
VerticalinesmarkrpeciJic
dates.Horizonlalbarsshow
periodsof time.The kingdomsof the savanna
are at
the bottomof thetimeline.
Thefofestkingdomsare at
the top. ldentify Which
kingdomlastedthe longest?
Whichlastedthe shortest
time? Analyze Which {orest klngdomsoverlapped
in time with the kingdom
of Mali?
'fi#ainglq.h"tf I Namethetwo mostimportant
tradeirems
inWestAlrica.
Chapter 2 Se(tion 2 47
Kingdoms of the Forest
j' l
Ghana,Mali, and Songhaidevelopedon West
Africa'ssavanna.At the sametime, other kingdoms arosein the rain foreststo the south of
thesegrasslands.
The peoplesofthe rain forests
werenot Muslim. Theypracticedreligionswith
hundredsof differentgods.
Two ofthe most important kingdomsofthc
WestAfi ican forestswere centeredaround the
cities of Ile-Ife (EElay EEfay) and Benin (beh
NEEN).Both of thesecitieswere locatedin the
present-day
nation ofNigeria.As with the kingdoms of the savanna,trade made theseforest
kingdoms powerful and wealthy. With their
wealth and stability,thesekingdomssupported
largerpopulationsthan otherAftican rain forest
- e o i n n <. ^ , , 1 1
- , - - ^ '+
lle-lfe: A center of culture and Trade
About A.D.1000,Ile Ife becamea major cultural
and tradingcenter.The powerfulleadersofthis
kingdomwere calledoni' loH neez).Traditional stories told by these people described
Ile-Ife as "the placewhere the world was created,"but historiansknow litde aboutthe early
city or the peoplewho livedthere.
One of the reasonsthat we know litde about
Ile-Ife is tlat the modem town of Ife is locatedon
top of the earlier city. Also, the region is thickly
forestedand damp. Treeshave coveredold sites
outsidethe tou'n, and rains havewashedawayold
mud buildings.Dampnesshas also rustediron
dndlong5inceroltedwoodandfabri<'.
Among the most important artifacts that
havesurvivedaresculptures.
Many werediscovered only in the last 100 years.Scientistshave
datedtheseworksofart to theyearsbetweenthe
1100sal1dthe 1300s.Many of thesesculptures
arelifelikeand may be portraitsofthe powerful
onis of IIe Ife.
The rain forests of West Afiica
have a damo clifiate and lush
vegetation"
{
Benin Rules an Empire The city ofBenin datesto the 1200s.
At that time, workersin the regionmined copper,iron, andgold.
Benin'sleaders,calledobas(oH buz), alsosold slavesto African
traders.Many oftheseslaveswereforcedto work asservantsfor
rich familieson the savanna.Othersjoined slavesfiom Europe
and Asiato work in North Africa.
By the 1500s,Beninreachedits greateststrengthand size.The
oba controlleda large army,pdests,goYernmentworkers,and
lessimportant local chiefs.The city of Be[in ruled the trade
routes along the rivers to the north and south. It became
immenselyrich. It ruled much of present-daysouthernNigeria.
Benin remainedstro[g until the late 1600s,rvhenthe kingdom
beganto loseits poweroverthe region
Like Ile-Ife,the city of Beninalsobecamea centerof art. The
obashired skilled artiststo make many beautiful objectsfrom
bronze,brass,ivory,and copper.Theseartistsmay havebotrowed
somecultural traditionsfrom Ile-Ife,but the exactrelationship
betweenthe two kingdomsis unclear.The artistsof Benin and
other WestAfrican kngdoms havein turn influencedmodern
artistsin Europeand the Americas.
Bronze Plaques Benin art,
istsmadebronzeplaquesand
sculptures
for the royalpalaceso{ the obas.For example,
one sculpture
showsa man
playinga flute and wearing
an animal-skin
skirt.A{ter
1897,the Britishruledthis
regionand removedmany
objects.Today,hundredsof
Beninplaquescanbe seenin
museums
in Europeand the
UnitedStates.
Thisplaqueis
about 300yearsold.
€hi-ili] wtat werettre leadersof tle-tfeand Benin.alled?
Key Terms
Reviewthe keytermsat the
beginningof thissectionUse
eachterm in a sentence
that
explains
its meaning.
O TargetReadingSkill
Findthe secondparagraph
under
the headingK;ngdoms
of the
Forest,
on page48. Paraphrase
thisparagraph
by rewritingit
In yourown words,
Comprehensionand
Critical Thinking
1. (a) List Whatwerethe names
of the threemajorkingdoms
of
the WestAfricansavanna?
(b) ldentify CausesWhat made
eachof the threekingdoms
rich?
(c)Apply Information What do
the powerfulcountries
of today
havein commonwith these
k;ngdoms?
2. (a)RecallDescribe
someof
the art objectsthal the people
of llejfe and Beninleft behind.
(b) ldentify Causeand Effect
Whyaretheseobjectsamongthe
few thingsthat havesurvived
from
thesecultures?
Writing Activity
Suppose
that youarea foreign
visitorwho hastraveledto the
kingdomof Beninin the late
1500s.
Youwill beallowedto
meetbrieflywiththe currentoba.
Writea listof fiveor sixquestions
that youwouldliketo askhim
abouthisdailylife,hiskingdom,
andthe peoplehe rules.
Writing Tip Besurethat
yourquestions
arewordedin
a way that showsrespectfor
the powerfulrulerand his
kingdom.Alsobe sureto
inclLrde
a briefintroduction
yourselfandthe
identifying
purposeof yourvisit.
Chaptet2 Section2 49
From the salt minesofthe Sahara,caravan
leadersdrovetheir camelsthroughthe hot desert
sand.Heavilyweightedwith slabsof sait,the
camcltrain headedsouth.Mea[time, trade
cara\ansfiom WestAftica'sgold minestraYeled
north. Theynret in the WestAtiic:rn citv of
Tonbouctou(tohmbook roo). Jnthe
1500s,saltrvasasvaluableasgold
in the city'snarke|s.
*: :!e 4.
" nt
A Marketplace ol coods and
ldeas Business
wasbriskin
Tombouctou's
markets.Buyers
and sellerstradedfor metal
waresand wood;grainsand
nuts;fish,camelmeat,milk,
water,and dates;rugsand
linen;preciousivory,gold,salt,
ano evenstaves.
Bythe mid-1500s,
about
peoplelivedin Tombouc60,000
tou. Art;sanssuchasweavers,
dyers,
andmetalsmiths
hadshops
in the busycity.
Morethan just a market
place,this citydrew scholars
from all overthe lslamicworld
to studyand exchange
ideas.
Manypeoplewithin the city
s p o k eAr a b i cMu
. sl i ms
co u l d
prayat three impressive
driedmud mosques.
The illustration
at the right
showsa marketscenein Tombouctouwith a mosque;nthe
background.
The illustration
at
the top of the pageis of an
ancientmanuscript
that was
found in the city.
50
MedievalTime! to Today
t,,,
!"{
-