Transcript Slide 1

MEDIEVAL AFRICA
GEOGRAPHY
Africa is the world’s
second largest
continent.
Savannas cover the largest area of Africa.
North and south of the savannas are deserts.
Sahara to the north and the Kalahari in the
south.
These large seas of sand, blocked trade for
many years.
The Sahara is the world’s largest desert.
Almost all of Africa, except for the coastal
plains, rests on a plateau.
A plateau is an area of high land.
The Niger River runs through West Africa
and gave rise to several civilizations.
The Nile and Niger Rivers both had
civilizations grow up along their banks.
The rich soil along the Niger River grows
many crops and gave rise to several
civilizations.
The Niger River also helped unite the region
as merchants and travelers spread good and
ideas up and down the river.
QUESTION
Why is the Niger River
important?
AFRICAN TRADING
EMPIRES
The Bantu were
early Africans who
moved throughout
the continent.
The Sahara desert
prevented them from
moving into North
Africa.
BERBERS
Around 400 B.C.
North Africans
known as Berbers
moved across the
Sahara and into
West Africa.
The Berbers
transported goods
across the hot
desert, thus opening
trade routes.
THE EMPIRE OF
GHANA
GHANA
Traders in caravans brought salt and
cloth to West Africa for gold and ivory.
GHANA
When I say Ghana you say Gold!
GHANA
The first empire to arise in West Africa
was Ghana.
Ghana rose to power in 400 A.D.
Ghana was located on a major trade
route and was rich with gold, but had no
salt to preserve their food.
TIMELINE
Prophet
Muhammad
born
Roman Empire
divided into
two
300 A.D.
400 A.D.
Ghana rises
to power
570 A.D.
GHANA
Trading gold for salt made Ghana very
wealthy.
Ghana was also powerful because of its
big army with iron weapons.
GHANA
Ghana’s power
eventually declined as
new gold mines were
discovered outside the
empire.
In addition, heavy
farming robbed the soil
of minerals and made it
harder to grow crops.
GHANA
Government of Ghana
The king ruled with absolute authority over all
the provinces.
QUESTION
What two items were
traded in Ghana?
Why was Ghana so
powerful?
MALI
In the 1200’s, the kingdom of Mali
conquered Ghana.
MALI
West African griots or
storytellers give credit to
the great warrior-king
named Sundiata Keita
“Lion Prince” for capturing
Ghana in 1240.
He also conquered the city of Timbuktu,
making Mali’s empire even larger than
Ghana’s.
MALI
Mali’s greatest king
was Mansa Musa.
He led a huge
pilgrimage to Mecca
that helped put West
Africa on the map.
MALI
Mali decreased in power after the death
of Mansa Musa.
QUESTION
Which great warrior
king seized Ghana?
(Sunidata Keita or
Mansa Musa)
SONGHAI
In1468, Sunni Ali, leader of the Songhai,
conquered Timbuktu and drove out the
Berbers by controlling economic resources.
By the time of his death, Sunni Ali had built
the largest empire in West Africa.
SONGHAI
In 1591, a small army from Morocco crossed
the Sahara armed with cannons and guns
easily cut down Songhai soldiers armed with
swords, spears, and bows.
Within months, Songhai’s empire was gone.
QUESTION
Which ruler of Songhai
helped build the largest
empire in West Africa?
GHANA
MALI
SONGHAI
TRADITIONAL
AFRICAN
RELIGION
Many traditional African religions were
similar to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
How?
One supreme
god
TRADITIONAL
MUSLIM
CHRISTIAN
ISLAM
Ibn Buttuta was a Muslim lawyer from
Morocco .
He traveled through out the Muslim world
for 30 years.
When he got to Africa Islam had been
there for hundreds of years, but not
everyone accepted Islam.
He was amazed that West Africans studied
the Quran.
ISLAM
The great Muslim Mali king, Mansa Musa,
allowed people to practice their own
religion, but was devoted to making Islam
stronger.
Mansa Musa
ISLAM
In 1324, Mansa Musa made his famous
pilgrimage to Mecca and thus brought
attention to the kingdom of Mali.
While in Mecca, Mansa Musa convinced
some of Islam’s finest architects, teachers,
and writers to accompany him back to Mali.
He brought:
Thousands of people, 100 pack camels
carrying gold,
ISLAM
Islam also influenced African art and
buildings.
ISLAM’S IMPACT
• Africans who accepted Islam also
accepted Islamic laws and ideas.
ISLAM’S IMPACT
• Islam also advanced learning with the creation
of Muslim schools.
ISLAM’S IMPACT
• The Arabic language quickly spread across the
continent.
• It also influenced art and buildings (mosques
and palaces.
AFRICAN CULTURE
“We are almost a nation of dancers, musicians, and
poets.”
Enslaved Africans developed rich cultures that influenced
many other cultures, including their own.
AFRICAN ART
Cave paintings are the earliest form of African art we
know about.
AFRICAN ART
Woodcarvers made masks and statues to celebrate
African religious beliefs.
AFRICAN ART
Kente cloth of West Africa
AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE
Drums, horns, flutes, or banjos were used to keep the
beat.
AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE
Africans believed that
dance allowed spirits to
express to themselves.
AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE
They used dance to
celebrate important
events such as birth and
death.
Individual dancers leaped
and twirled while
drummers sounded in the
background/
AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE
African slaves
used music to
remember their
homeland.
AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE
Many types of music
came out of their hard
times and hopes for
freedom.
Blues, gospel, ragtime,
jazz, rock and roll, and
rap all came from Africa.
AFRICAN STORYTELLING
African storytellers passed
down their stories to
younger generations.
African griots also told their
stories