1. 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

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Great Zimbabwe

7. 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

8. 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)

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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 and 1431 large state sponsored expeditions sailing from China to Africa occurred.

18. 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