African Trade Kingdoms

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African Trade Kingdoms

• Islam Spreads After the End of the Expansion Era

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How Islam spread to sub-Saharan Africa

• There were a series of powerful kingdoms in West
  Africa, that spanned a millennium, whose great
  wealth was based on trade not conquest.
• Why is this unusual?

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North africa

• North Africa great wealth and spread of Islam
  came by conquest.

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Sub-saharan africa gold

• Ghana (south of the Sahara aka sub-Saharan)
• Controlled the traffic (trade) in gold
• Which is the most precious commodity traveling
  north

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Sub-saharan africa
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Slave trade

• Slave trade is the second most valuable African
  commodity
• Most slaves came from the area around Lake Chad

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Salt

• Most important commodity coming south with the
  caravans is salt.
• Regions of the Sahara produced this salt and
  traded it with those in the sub-Saharan

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Islam spreads

• Africa is the first region into which Islam is
  carried by merchants rather than armies.
• It spreads down the established trade routes of
  the east coast

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First converts

• Muslim dynasty is established in Kilwa around
  1070 and spreads south down the trade routes
• Many ruling classes convert to Islam

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Mali

• Mansa Musa, sultan of Mali, decides to make the
  pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324
• Great wealth of Mali was made famous by his
  pilgrimage
• 60,000 people and camels carry 12 tons of gold

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Mansa musa

• Ordered mosques be built
• Encouraged studying the Quran
• Islamic architecture
• Imported books and scholars to spread the word of
  Allah