Topic 2.4 Flashcards
Trans-Saharan Trade Routes (17 cards)
Why wasn’t the Sahara Desert inhabited unlike the rest of the East African Coast?
- It’s arid climate made it nearly impossible to farm
- Occupied 3.6 million square miles
- Only about 800 square miles are oasis
What were Oasis?
Places where human settlement is possible because water from deep underground is brought to surface, making land fertile.
How did merchants travel across the Sahara Desert?
- Why were they important
- Traveled across on camels
1. Native to the Islamic heartland -> Accustomed to the Arabian Desert adapted well to the Sahara
2. Can consume larger quantities of water at one time and did not need more for a long period of time
3. Began to replace horses and donkeys after 300 CE
What were the different kinds of camel saddles?
- South Arabians developed a saddle in which the rider sits in back of the hump which made riding easier, and put them higher in the air which was easier in battles
- Somalis designed a saddle that could carry up to 600 pounds
How were the Caravans important?
Put the people in touch with an expanding number of cultures and trading partners.
Describe the Trans-Saharan Trade Route
- What goods were sold?
- How did it effect the surrounding societies?
- What religions were spread?
- Gold was the most precious commodity traded
- Sold Ivory
- In exchange, they brought salt, textiles, and horses
- Brought considerable wealth to the societies of West Africa particularly Ghana and Mali
- They also brought Islam, which spread into Sub-Saharan Africa as a result.
Who rose up in place of Ghana after its decline?
- By the 12th century, wars with neighboring societies had permanently weakened the Ghanian state
- In its place rose several new trading societies, the most powerful of which was Mali
How did Mali gain its wealth?
- Profited from the Gold Trade
- Also taxed nearly all trade entering West Africa
Describe the importance of Mali
- Became even more prosperous than Ghana
- Most of Mali’s residents were farmers who cultivated sorghum and rice
Describe the importance of Timbuktu
- The great cities of Timbuktu and Gao accumulated the most wealth and developed into centers of Muslim life in the region
- Timbuktu in particular became a world-renowned center of Islamic learning
- By the 1500s, books created and sold in Timbuktu brought prices higher than most other goods.
What did the growth in trade and wealth give rise to?
The need to administer and maintain it
Who was Mali’s founding ruler?
- What was his story?
Sundiata
- When his father died, rival groups invaded, taking the throne and killing most of the royal family
- Yet, they left Sundiata alone because he was crippled
- He learned to fight and he became so feared that his enemies forced him into exile
- In 1235, Sundiata (‘The Lion Prince’) returned to the kingdom of his birth, defeated his enemies, and reclaimed the throne for himself.
- Cultivated a thriving gold trade in Mali
- Under his leadership, Mali’s wealth grew tremendously
How did people view Sundiata?
- He became a legend and beloved by the people
- He was an astute and capable ruler
- Scholars believe he was a Muslim and used his connections with others of his faith to establish trade relationships with North African and Arab merchants
Who was Mansa Musa?
- How did he rule over the region
Sundiata’s grand-nephew
- Brought more fame to the region
- Was better known for his religious leadership than for his political or economic acumen
- Planned a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 (was Muslim)
Describe Mansa Musa’s journey to Mecca?
- His journey was unlike that of any ordinary pilgrim
- Mali’s prosperity allowed him to take an extraordinarily extravagant caravan to Arabia, consisted of 100 camels, thousands of enslaved people and soldiers, and gold to distribute to all of the people who hosted him along his journey.
- His pilgrimage demonstrated Mali’s wealth to the outside world
What was the Impact of Mansa Musa’s journey to Mecca?
- Deepened his devotion to Islam and the support for it
- He established religious schools in Timbuktu, built mosques , and sponsored those who wanted to continue their religious studies elsewhere
- In less than 100 years after his death, the Mali kingdom was declining
- Caused inflation in the places he visited
What was the Songhai Kingdom?
-By the late 1400s, had taken its place as the powerhouse in West Africa
- Became larger and richer than Mali
- Islam has a prominent place in the region today because of Mansa Musa’s efforts.
