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West African Gold and Salt Kingdoms Directions:Examinethedocumentsbelowandanswerthequestionsthatfollow.

Source:“KingdomsofWestAfrica”,SusanRamirez,WorldHistory:HumanLegacy

1. HowwastheEmpireofGhanaabletobenefiteconomicallyfromscarcity?

Trans-Saharan Gold-Salt Trade

2. Basedonthisdocument,whatweretworesultsoftheTrans-SaharanGold-SaltTradeinWestAfrica?

The Kingdom of Mali MaliemergedagainstthebackdropofadecliningofGhanaundertheleadershipofSundiataoftheKeitaclan.Buttheregionhetookoverhadapastrichintradeandpowerfulrulers.SundiataKeitarosetopowerbydefeatingthekingoftheSosso-Soumaoro,knownastheSorcererKing,in1235.HethenbroughtalltheMandinkeclanrulers(orMansas)underhisleadership,declaringhimselfMansaoverall.HetookthecityofTimbuktufromtheBerbers(nomadsoftheSahara),transformingitintoasubstantialcity,afocusfortradeandscholarship.AsignificantportionofthewealthoftheEmpirederivedfromtheBuregoldfieldsinthesouth.Thefirstcapital,Niani,wasbuiltclosetothisgoldminingarea.Malialsoacquiredcontroloverthesaltminesinthenorth.Thepeopleofthesouth

neededsaltfortheirdiet,butitwasextremelyrare.Forthatreason,saltwasasvaluable,ifnotmorevaluablethangoldinSub-SaharanAfrica.Source:“Mali:LandofKings”,TheStoryofAfrica,BBCWorldService

3. WhowasSundiata?HowdidhebecometheMansaofMali?

4. WhywassaltsovaluableinSub-SaharanAfrica?

5. HowdoyouthinktheMalianacquisitionofnorthernsaltminesimpactedtheireconomicstrength?Explain.

Malians in the Americas? Malireacheditspeakinthe14thcentury.Whilesomescholarsdoubttheseaccounts,oneruler,AbubakarII,goesdowninhistoryasthekingwhowantedtocrosstheAtlanticOcean,andmayhavereachedtheAmericas.WhiletherearenoaccountsofMaliansreturning,thenextkingwhocametopower,MansaMusa,speaksofthevoyage.SoAbubakarequipped200shipsfilledwithmenandthesamenumberequippedwithgold,water,andprovisions,enoughtolastthemforyears...theydepartedandalongtimepassedbeforeanyonecameback.Thenoneshipreturnedandweaskedthecaptainwhatnewstheybrought.Hesaid,“Yes,OhSultan,wetravelledforalongtimeuntilthereappearedintheopenseaariverwithapowerfulcurrent...theothershipswentonahead,butwhentheyreachedthatplace,theydidnotreturnandnomorewasseenofthem...Asforme,Iwentaboutatonceanddidnotentertheriver.”TheSultangotready2,000ships,1,000forhimselfandthemenwhomhetookwithhim,and1,000forwaterandprovisions.Heleftme[incharge]andembarkedontheAtlanticOceanwithhismen.Thatwasthelastwesawofhimandallthosewhowerewithhim.Andso,Ibecamekinginmyownright."Source:MansaMusa,talkingtoSyrianscholarAl-Umari

6. Basedontheprimarysource,doyouthinkMalianstraveledtotheAmericas?Explain.

Mansa Musa: Muslim King of Mali ThegreatestrulerofMaliwasMansaMusa,whocametothethronein1312.HeexpandedMali’sborderswestwardtotheAtlanticOceanandpushednorthwardtoconquermanycities.Duringhis25-yearreign,MansaMusaworkedtoensurepeaceandorderinhisempire.HeconvertedtoIslamandbasedhissystemofjusticeontheQuran.However,hedidnotimposeIslamonthepeople,butpromotedreligiousfreedomandtolerance.Source:ElizabethGaynorEllis,“KingdomsofWestAfrica”,WorldHistory

IbnBattutarecordedthatinMansaMusa’scourt,theShariah(Islamicreligiousteaching)wasratherinformallypracticedinmattersofmarriage.HerecordsthatIbnAmirHajib,amemberoftheMamlukcourt,notedhowMansaMusastrictlyobservedprayerandknewtheQur’an,buthadmaintained“thecustomthatifoneofhissubjectshadabeautifuldaughter,hebroughthertotheking’sbedwithoutmarriage.”IbnAmirHajibinformedMansaMusathatthiswasnotpermittedunderIslamiclaw,towhichMansaMusareplied,“Noteventokings?”IbnAmirHajibsaid,“Noteventokings.”HenceforthMansaMusarefrainedfromthepractice.Source:AishaRMasterson,“MansaMusa:TheHajjthatChangedHistory”

7. WhatmethodofimperialconsolidationdidMansaMusaemployinhisempire?

8. HowdidMansaMusa’spracticeofIslamevolveovertime?

The Hajj of Mansa Musa MansaMusaobservedIslamictraditionbymakinghispilgrimagetoMeccain1324-1325.Hispartyformedagargantuancaravanthatincludedthousandsofsoldiers,attendants,subjects,andslavesaswellasahundredcamelscarryingsatchelsofgold.MansaMusabestowedlavishgiftsonthosewhohosedhimalongtheway,andduringhisthree-monthvisittoCairo(thecapitalofEgypt),hedistributedsomuchgoldthatthemetal’svaluedeclinedbyasmuchas25percentonlocalmarkets.Source:JerryHBentley,“IslamicKingdomsandEmpries”,TraditionsandEncounters

Itissaidthathebroughtwithhim14,000slavegirlsforhispersonalservice.ThemembersofhisentourageproceededtobuyTurkishandEthiopiaslavegirls,singinggirlsandgarments,sothattherateofthegolddinarfellbysixdirhams.Havingpresentedhisgifthesetoffwiththecaravan.Source:EgyptianHistorianAl-Marqurizi

9. WhateconomicimpactdidtheHajjofMansaMusahaveonEgypt?ExplainWHYthathappened?

The City of Timbuktu ...OneofthechieftradecentersforsaltintheancientworldwasthefabledcityofTimbuktu.LocatedonthesouthernedgeoftheSaharaDesert,thecitythrivedonprofitsfromthesalttrade....Thesalttrademadethecityprosperous;inAfrica,saltrankedwithgoldandslavesinvalue.Formerchantstoriskcamelsoverhundredsofmilesofburningsand,theprofitsmusthavebeenenormous.Nordidthecitysquander[waste]itswealth.Timbuktu’ssalt

tradesupportedschoolsandlibraries;merchantslivedinfinehouses;thekingpaidhandsomesalariestojudges,doctors,andclerics—allfromprofitsonthethree-hundred-poundsaltcargothateachcamelcarried....Source:RobertKraske,CrystalsofLife:TheStoryofSalt,Doubleday&CompanyThroughhispilgrimage,MansaMusashowedhisdevotiontoIslam.HealsoforgednewdiplomaticandeconomictieswithotherMuslimstates.Inaddition,hebroughtbackscholars,architects,andteacherswhohelpedpromoteIslamiceducationinMali.Infact,anIslamicuniversitywasbuiltinTimbuktu,whichattractedstudentsfromfarandwide.Thismovementofwealth,people,andideasincreasedMali’srenown.Source:ElizabethGaynorEllis,“KingdomsofWestAfrica”,WorldHistory

10. WhataretwowaystheprofitsofthesalttradeaffectedthecityofTimbuktu?

11. WhataretwowaysthehajjofMansaMusaaffectedthecityofTimbuktu?

12. MansaMusaenjoyedwidespreadreputationasthewealthiestkingintheworld.Onthismap,preparedin1375byacartographerfromtheMediterraneanislandofMajorca,MansaMusaholdsanuggetaboutthesizeofagrapefruit.WhatdoesthisillustrationrevealabouttheimageofWestAfricaintheMediterraneanworld?