Mansa Musa
- Ruled the West African Empire of Mali - In 1324, he left his home and mad the hajj
When did Mansa Musa leave his home for hajj
About 1324
What did Mansa Musa take with him to Hajj
- Over a thousand people - 100 camel loads of gold!
What did Mansa Musa do with the gold
He spent his gold freely by throwing it everywhere he went
What was the impact of Mansa Musa's gold in Alexandria
He threw so much that it caused inflation, which took years to recover from
What did the Merchants of Venice do when the saw Mansa Musa in Alexandria
They returned to Italy with the tales of Mansa Musa's ridiculous wealth
What was the myth in the mind of the Europeans after the merchants of Venice returned to Italy
That Africa was filled with gold
Empire of Mali
- Ruled by Mansa Musa - Fell in 1337
Timbuktu
A city in central Mali near the Niger river; formerly famous for its gold trade
Berbers
- Pastoral North African nomads who had long traded with West Africans - Early converts to Islam
What did the Berbers trade with the West Africans
- Berbers offered salt - West Africans offered gold
Where did Islam spread
Pre-existing trade routes between North and West Africa
Who were the first converts of Islam in Mali
Traders
Who converted to Islam, following the traders
Kings
Ibn Battuta
- Moroccan cleric (a priest or religious leader) and scholar - Known for his extensive travels, accounts of which were published in the Rihla - Over a period of thirty years, Ibn Battuta visited most of the known Islamic world as well as many non-Muslim lands
Who did the Malian empire fall to
Songhai
Swahili Civilization
- Collection of city-states - All of which formed a network of trade ports - No central authority
What linked the city-states of Swahili to each other
- Language - Trade - Religion
Swahili language is part of a language group called
Bantu
Bantu's original speakers were from
West Africa
What did the Bantu people bring with them to East Africa
- Ironwork - Agriculture (until the most people in East were hunter-gatherers or herders)
Trade in Africa had been going on since (long before Islam arrived to Africa)
1st Century CE
When did Arab traders arrive to Africa
8th Century CE
What major religion did the Arab Merchants bring with them to Africa
Islam