Kingdoms of Africa. Sub- Saharan Africa Sub- Saharan Africa This is the area we will be studying this chapter. It does not include North Africa.

Kingdoms of AfricaKingdoms of Africa

Sub- Saharan Sub- Saharan AfricaAfrica

This is the area we will be

studying this chapter. It does

not include North Africa.

VVWA for Sub-Saharan Africa

Word Visual Representation

Definition Personal Association or Characteristic

West African Kingdoms

• Ghana

• Mali

• Songhai

• Hausa

• Benin

The Kingdom of Ghana

• Began around the 9th Century

• Capital was Kumbi-Saleh• People were the Soninke• King was a semi-divine

figure• Center of trade• Arab traders referred to it

as the “Land of Gold”

A map of Ghana with Muslim trade routes

Women in The Kingdom of Ghana

• Played an active role in economics

• Held positions in the government

• Line of succession for the King went through the King’s mother

A photograph of a woman from Ghana dressed in traditional clothing

Influence of Islam in the Kingdom of Ghana

• Muslim merchants formed their own communities

• Muslims were used as advisors to the king absorbing technology and ideas of government

• Almoravids converted most people to IslamThe crescent moon is the symbol of Islam

like the Star of David and the cross are symbols of Judaism and Christianity. The

star is a symbol of Ghana.

Muslim Contributions to Ghana’s Society

• Written language• Coinage• Business methods• Styles of architecture

An African mosque exemplifying the influence

of Islam in African architecture

The Kingdom of Mali• Began around the

13th Century• Capital was

Timbuktu• People were the

Mandinke• Center of trade• Mali means “Where

the king dwells”A Map Depicting the Kingdom of Mali

Two Emperors of Mali

• Sundiata – founded Mali in 1250 ce

• Mansa Musa – considered the greatest emperor of Mali. He came to power around

1312 ce

Sundiata• His entire family was

killed shortly after he was born

• Brilliant military leader• Won control of gold

trade routes• Famous epic poem

written about him• Seen as a folk hero of

MaliA Copy of the Epic of Sundiata

Mansa Musa• Expanded the borders

of Mali westward and to the north

• Worked to ensure peace and order in the empire

• Converted to Islam • Based his system of

justice on the Qur’an• Women were not

veiled or secluded

A European Map Showing Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa Takes the Hajj

• Accompanied by 500 slaves each holding a golden staff

• He was accompanied by 100 camels laden with gold

• Visited the ka’aba• Journey took over a

yearA Map of Mansa Musa’s Trip Across

the Sahara Desert

Effects of Mansa Musa’s Hajj

• He forged new trading ties with Muslims states like Egypt and Morocco

• Brought Arab scholars and artists to Mali• News of his gold wealth reached Europe which

sparked interest in the riches of Africa

Gold Jewelry

The Kingdom of Songhai

• Began about 1450 ce and lasted until 1586 ce

• Capital was Gao• Largest West African

kingdom• Located in present day

Niger and Burkina Faso

A Map of the Kingdom of Songhai

Sonni Ali – Songhai King

• Sonni Ali ruled from 1464 to 1492

• Brought key trade routes under his control

• He did not practice Islam

A Depiction of Sonni Ali

Askia Muhammad – Songhai King

• Set up a Muslim Dynasty• Expanded the territory• Set up a bureaucracy w/ departments for farming,

treasury, and military• Made the hajj• Built mosques and set up schools to study the Qur’an

A depiction of Askia Muhammad

The City-States of the Hausa

• Came to power in the 14th Century

• Group of independent walled city-states

• Each was a thriving commercial center producing cotton and leather goods

• Kano – most prosperous• Many Hausa leaders

were women

A Hausa House

The Kingdom of Benin

• Began in the early 14th Century

• The king who was called the Oba was both political and religious leader

• Power to rule was shared with the queen-mother and a council of hereditary chiefs

• Artists created brass sculptures depicting warriors, queen-mothers, obas, and even Portuguese merchants

A Warrior In Bronze from Benin

The Lasting Impact of the Kingdoms of West Africa

• The eyes of Europeans were turned toward Africa’s supplies of gold and other natural resources.

• Europeans would soon travel to Africa in order to explore and then to divide up and colonize almost the entire continent.

• This created chaos for Africa and its people because political boundaries were not drawn based on ethnic group, language or culture. They were drawn by Europeans based on the amount of land under European control.

European Colonization of Africa

Kingdoms of East Africa

• Axum• East African

City-States• Great

Zimbabwe

The Kingdom of Axum

• Located in present day Ethiopia

• Founded by King Ezana• Language = Geez• Axum & Adulis were

important trading cities• Practiced Judaism &

Christianity• Christianity isolated

Axum when most of the region converted to Islam.

One of the Christian churches One of the Christian churches carved out of stone by King carved out of stone by King

LalibelaLalibela

East African City States• The names of the city

states were Mogadishu, Kilwa, Malindi, Sofala, & Mombasa

• They were very successful trading cities trading with India, China, & the Middle East

• Most people converted to Islam

• A diverse culture created much cultural diffusion for example Swahili is a mix of Arabic and the local bantu language

Ancient remains from the trading Ancient remains from the trading city of Kilwacity of Kilwa

The Empire of Great Zimbabwe• Settled around

900 ce• Traded gold and

other goods• Archeologists have

found remains of beads from India and porcelain from China

• Ruled by a god-king, queen mother and 9 queens using a bureaucracy

Remains of the main city of Remains of the main city of the empire of Great the empire of Great

ZimbabweZimbabwe

East African City StatesEast African City StatesA map

depicting East African

trade

How many East African

Kingdoms can you identify?

List them in your notebooks and make sure to

remember they may be spelled differently

Africa Today