Muslim Empires of West Africa

Rise of Mali  Once Ghana falls small Kingdoms began to compete for power  Sumanguru took control of an area of land home to the Malinke people  Sundiata  Led a rebellion in 1230 to free the people under Sumanguru’s power  Took over the area formally belonging to Ghana and added more  Area became Kingdom of Mali

Rise of Mali  A New Empire  Sundiata was a wise ruler  Called himself “Mansa”  Ruled with an assembly of kings  Created laws that divided roles and responsibilities among clans  Mali gained control of gold producing regions and trade routes

Mali at its Height  Mansa Musa  Emperor from  Most prosperous period in Kingdom’s history  Enlarged kingdom  Transformed kingdom into center of Muslim learning and art  Hajj= religious journey to Mecca  Travel to Mecca in 1324  Spent so much gold along the way he gained the attention of Europeans

Mali at its Height  Muslim Culture in Mali  Mansa Musa returned home to Mali with Muslim scholars, artists, and teachers  Built many mosques in Mali  Tombouctou became a center for Islamic learning  Expansion of Mali  Largest empire of the time  Population roughly 50 million people

 “Salt comes from the north, gold from the south, and silver from the country of the white men, but the word of God and the treasures of wisdom are only to be found in Tombouctou”

Rise of the Songhai  1300’s  Mali controlled cities along the Niger River including Gao the capital of Songhai  Mali looses power of Gao and Songhai grows in power under Ali  Conquests of Ali  1464 Ali Ber became king of Songhai  Great military leader  1468 took control of Tombouctou”

Rise of the Songhai  The largest empire  Songhai rulers continued to conquer more territory  Askia Muhammad  Successful military leader  Set up a government to unite the region  Used weights to measure currency  Strengthened Islam within the empire

Rise of the Songhai  Islamic law and scholarship  Askia strengthened Islamic influence within Songhai  Appointed Muslim judges who based lase on Quran  Laws were written in Arabic  Arabic provided a common language for traders in W. Africa  Commercial success soared  Decline of Songhai  Askia’s sons competed for power once he became unfit to rule  1591 soldiers from Morocco invaded Songhai and the kingdom was over powered

Legacy of Empires  Millions of Africans speak the languages of Mali and Songhai  Griots- professional stortellers who are the keepers of West African history  Families form the basis of modern African society  Markets and farming remain key parts of African economy  Islam continues to be a major religion in west Africa