Trade Routes, Faith, and the Rise of Ghana (c.800-1235)
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Question
What two goods drove the trans-Saharan trade, and in which directions did they move?
Answer
Gold moved north (from West African goldfields like Bambuk and Bure); salt moved south (from Saharan sites like Taghaza).
Question
Define 'jihad' as used in the Almoravid conquest of Ghana.
Answer
A religious military campaign undertaken by Muslims, in this case launched by the reformist Almoravid Berber movement from the 1050s.
Question
Why were monsoon winds essential to Indian Ocean trade?
Answer
They reverse direction seasonally, letting dhow sailors travel out to Africa/Asia and back within a single year using predictable wind patterns.
Question
What was Kumbi Saleh, and how was it physically organized?
Answer
The capital of the Ghana Empire, split into a royal town (traditional religion, royal court) and a separate Muslim merchant quarter with mosques.
Question
Describe the process by which Islam typically spread into a West African trading kingdom.
Answer
Merchants converted first for trade/legal benefits, then ruling elites converted for diplomatic and administrative advantages, then scholars settled and built lasting institutions (mosques, schools).
Question
Who was King Afonso I of Kongo and why does he matter?
Answer
Born Nzinga Mbemba, ruled 1509-1543; became Catholicism's most committed royal sponsor, building churches and corresponding directly with the Pope.
Question
How did Ghana's kings keep control over gold supply, according to al-Bakri?
Answer
All gold nuggets found belonged to the king by law; ordinary people could keep only gold dust, preventing an oversupply that would crash gold's value.
Question
What succession system did the Ghana Empire use, and why is it notable?
Answer
Matrilineal succession — the throne passed to the king's sister's son, keeping succession within the royal bloodline through female descent rather than direct father-to-son inheritance.
Question
Compare how Islam spread in West Africa versus how Catholicism spread in Kongo.
Answer
Islam: gradual, over centuries, via trade contact, merchants/scholars often first. Catholicism: rapid, within a generation, via direct royal diplomacy with Portugal, king converted first.
Question
List three combined causes of the decline of the Ghana Empire (beyond the Almoravid jihad alone).
Answer
Disruption/diversion of trade routes, loss of tribute from breakaway vassal chiefdoms, and environmental strain (overgrazing/desertification) around Kumbi Saleh.
Question
What ended Ghana's power vacuum in 1235, and who led it?
Answer
Sundiata Keita defeated the Sosso kingdom in 1235 and founded the Mali Empire on former Ghanaian territory.
Question
What goods flowed along the Indian Ocean trade network, and in what basic exchange pattern?
Answer
Africa exported slaves, ivory and spices; in exchange, textiles, glass beads and ceramics (e.g. Chinese porcelain) flowed back into Africa.
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Topic 21.5 hub
Trade and the rise and decline of African states and empires (800–1600)
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