Trans-Saharan Trade Like the Silk and Sea Roads  this trade begins as a result of environmental variation What does each region have to offer? North African coastal areas = cloth, glassware, weapons, books Sahara region = copper and salt Savanna grasslands = grain crops Sub-Saharan forests = tree crops like yam and kola nuts Long-distance trade helped spur on the development of kingdoms in east and central Africa. Trade and its wealth helped establish large and powerful kingdoms

Trans- Saharan trade Sporadic encounters for more than 1,000 years Initiators of trade were Berber nomads of North Africa What was traded?: Salt, Ivory, Slaves, Gold, Helped the spread of Islam Muslim traders not only exchanged salt, but their religion

Trans-Saharan Trade Trans-Saharan trade route Linked North Africa and the Mediterranean world with West Africa

Trans-Saharan Trade Made possible by the CAMEL! Camels were first introduced by N. African group called Berbers in 4th century As many as 5,000 camels Hundreds of people Travelling at night Length of journey = about 70 days 15-20 miles walked per day

Trans-Saharan Trade New wealth and resources from trans-Saharan trade allowed some regions to construct large empires or city- states Between 500 and 1600 CE Major empires = Mali, Ghana, and Songhai

Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe, or "house of stone", is the name given to hundreds of great stone ruins spread out over a 200 sq mile area within the modern day country of Zimbabwe The exact origin of the word Zimbabwe is not known Lasted from11th century to the 15th century

Great Zimbabwe The ruins at Great Zimbabwe are some of the oldest and largest structures located in Southern Africa At its peak, estimates are that the ruins of Great Zimbabwe had as many as 18,000 inhabitants Kings controlled and taxed the trade betwn the interior and coastal regions, organized the flow of gold, ivory, and slaves and local products from the sources of supply to the coast They made alliances with local leaders and made money from the transactions The ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km²) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km)

Great Zimbabwe It is believed Great Zimbabwe located south of the Zambezi River was where much of Africa’s gold was mined Mixed farming and cattle- herding was Great Zimbabwe’s economic base Ecological crisis caused from overgrazing and the destruction of forests may have led to their decline

Kongo Kingdom Kongo natives easily assimilated Bantu lifestyle Two Bantu clans united to form Kongo kingdom One of the more prosperous of these states was the kingdom of Kongo which participated actively in trade networks involving copper, cloth, and nzimbu shells from the Atlantic Ocean

Kongo Kingdom It had a central gov which included the king and officials who oversaw military, judicial and financial affairs Beneath the central gov’t were 6 provinces administered by governors who supervised several districts administered by subordinate officials Within the districts villages ruled by chiefs provided local gov’t It wasn’t the only kingdom but it was the most tightly centralized of the early Bantu kingdoms The authority of the king and central gov’t was undermined by Portugese slave traders.

The Indian Ocean Trade and Islamic States in East Africa Swahili is an Arabic term meaning “coasters.” The introduction of various traditions such as Islam helped to shape the character of the Swahili Coast Bantu peoples populate coast Swahili (“coasters”) engage in trade with Arabs Language a form of Bantu, influenced by Arabic

Swahili Coast By the tenth century, Swahili society attracted increasing attention from Islamic merchants From the interior regions of east Africa, the Swahili obtained and traded gold, slaves, ivory, and exotic local products In exchange, the Swahili city-states received pottery, glass, and textiles that the Muslim merchants brought from Persia, India, and China

Swahili City-States By the 11th and 12th Century, trade had brought tremendous wealth to coastal east Africa Mogadishu, Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilwa, Mozambique, and Sofala were some of the trade centers that eventually developed into powerful city-states governed by a king who supervised trade and organized public life in the region

Swahili Coast Islam spread along Eastern coast and merchant activity spread Bantu-speaking people migrated to coast along with refugees from Oman By 13th century African trading ports developed along the coast These towns shared common Bantu-based and Arabic-influenced Swahili (meaning coastal) language and other traits

Swahili Coast-East Africa Islam spread along Eastern coast and merchant activity spread and Muslim ports where established along the Indian Ocean Bantu-speaking people migrated here along with refugees from Oman By 13th century African trading ports developed along the coast. These towns shared common Bantu-based and Arabic-influenced Swahili (meaning coastal) language and other traits. Ruled by separate Muslim ruling families Trade in ivory, gold, slaves, iron, and exotic animals for silks and porcelain Kilwa most powerful of these port cities Some Chinese sent good directly to these ports. As late as 1417 and 1431 large state sponsored expeditions sailing from China to Africa occurred.

Swahili, Land of Zenj Port cities developed into city-states with their own local governments. Rulers interested in controlling slave trade and not making territorial conquests. Palace in Kilwa Cultural hybrid -Between Arabic and African Swahili –bantu and Arabic words -Many in-land Africans not Muslim -1500 Portuguese