Kingdoms of Africa Mapping

Left Side On your map of Africa: Nile River On your map of Africa: highlight in the Nile River and Niger River Color the Sahara desert Niger River

Introduction Anthropologists believe humanity first arose in East Africa In ancient times, the rise of Egyptian civilization affected African cultures along the upper Nile Kush – an early iron-producing center, grew rich from selling iron products, ivory, ebony, wood, and slaves. (It had once been a part of Egypt called Nubia) Axum – Located in Ethiopia. Its rise caused the decline of Kush. King Ezana made Christianity the official religion (330 A.D.). Axum dominated trade in slaves and ivory.

Left Side Locate the kingdoms of Kush and Axum on your map. Create a key in the lower left section of your map Kush Axum

Gold-Salt Trade Sahara was never completely cut off from Europe and Asia Muslim merchants crossed the Sahara because of gold and other riches in West Africa West Africa lacked salt – vital to human survival Merchants picked up large blocks of salt on their journey and exchanged them for gold A thriving trade developed, based on gold-salt trade Ideas were exchanged, such as Islamic beliefs

Left Side Draw in trade routes

Kingdom of Ghana – 750-1200 Draw an outline of Ghana on your map and add it to your key. Kingdom of Ghana Ghana was the first of three West African empires that rose to power by controlling extensive gold mines and trading across the Sahara

Kingdom of Mali – 1240-1400 Draw an outline of the Kingdom of Mali on your map (different than Ghana) and add it to your key. label Timbuktu Timbuktu Kingdom of Mali The Mali Kingdom began when a small kingdom within the Ghana empire grew ever more powerful.

Ibn Battuta – Arab traveler that wrote about Mansa Musa and his respect for law and the power of its ruler Because of his extensive travels and his records historians know a lot about this time period in Africa and the Middle East He was like the Marco Polo of the Muslims

Timbuktu Famous trading city Became an important center of several important universities Attracted students from Europe, Asia, and Africa Flourished as a center of Muslim scholarship Also famous for the Sankore mosque

Kingdom of Songhai – 1464-1600 Draw an outline of the Kingdom of Songhai (new color) and include it on your key. Kingdom of Songhai

Kingdom of Benin Became famous for their copper and bronze sculptures, which were among the finest of all African artwork Became involved with the slave trade

Kingdom of Benin Draw Benin on your map and add it to your key

The Great Zimbabwe One of the best known trading kingdoms of South Africa Great deposits of gold Traded gold, copper, and ivory from Africa’s interior with Muslim traders along Africa’s east coast Towers of the Great Zimbabwe

Other Important Info Bantu Migrations East African Trading Centers Communities of peoples who lived on subsistence farming and spoke a common language (Bantu) Lived throughout West, Central, and southeast Africa East African Trading Centers Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf settled at ports along the east coast Merchants grew wealthy from trade here Eventually, gave rise to mixed African-Arabian culture known as Swahili

Zimbabwe, Trading Cities, and Migrations. Add Zimbabwe to your map. Also, add the East African Trading cities of Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa. Finally, add arrows representing the movement of the Bantu migrations. Make sure everything is on your key. Mogadishu Mombasa Kilwa Zimbabwe