MC_A Concise History of Africa

A Concise History of Africa

centralized states to form, and the introduction of the camel, which preceded Islam, brought about a gradual revolution in trade; for the first time, the extensive gold, ivory, and salt resources of the region could be sent north and east to OPPOSITE: Traditional paddleboats are still used in Ghana today. ABOVE: The Larabanga Mosque is a historic mosque, built in the Sudanese architectural style, in the village of Larabanga, Ghana. It is the oldest mosque in the country and one of the oldest in West Africa.

population centers in North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, in exchange for manufactured goods. Trade made the Ghana empire rich, making it famous in Africa as the “Land of Gold.” Not only did it have a monopoly over its well- concealed gold mines, but it is also said to have possessed sophisticated methods of administration and taxation, also large armies, being among the first, apart from Egypt and Sudan, to build stone settlements with street layouts, walls, and buildings. Ghana’s importance faded towards the end of the 11th century when its power was crushed, after a

long struggle, by the Moroccan Almoravids, who justified the war as an act of conversion through military arms (lesser jihad), when it was in fact a bid for control of the coveted trans-Saharan trade routes. In 1076, the Almoravids captured the capital, bringing to an end the Ghana empire while converting many to Islam. Almoravid rule did not last for long and in 1087 power was returned to much weakened Soninke rule, which fell prey, in around 1140, to the rabidly anti- Muslim Sosso people, who also annexed the neighboring Mandinka state of Kangaba, from which the new Mali empire would arise.

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