WESTERN TRADING EMPIRES

GHANA EMPIRE

• Extensive Commercial Trade
• Controlled trade routes that went through their land.
• First great African empire of the western Sudan
• Became very rich as a result of the “salt-gold trade”

MALI EMPIRE

• Second largest empire in the world
• Rich empire because of gold and salt trade
• Greatest growth came under a king named Mansa Musa
• The value of gold dropped because there was so much of it

SONGHAI EMPIRE

• Gained control of certain portions of the old kingdom of Mali
• Possibly the most powerful state in West Central Africa
• Expanded in all directions until reached the Atlantic Ocean
• Used slaves as soldiers for the economic development of Western Africa

MANSA MUSA IN MALI

• He is the most celebrated King in Mali
• Encouraged knowledge and the teachings of the Islamic faith
• Extended Mali's territory and power
• Reffered to as“the Black Moses.”

ISLAM IN MALI

• Arab scholars came to Mali to study
• Several great centers of Islamic learning was established
• Became well established through the kingdom
• Contact between Muslims and Africans increased

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

• Gold was traded, they had an abundance of it
• Gold made kingdoms in Africa very wealthy
• Wealth provided them with conditions necessary for cultural achievement
• Used slaves to complete "heavy work"