Kingdom Of Ghana Dbq Report

Muslim traders brought many new things to Africa which influenced the early West African kingdoms and their cultures. In 800 AD, in between Niger and Senegal, Ghana was established due to development of trade because of the farming communities. The king at the time, was seen as a god like figure and he was able to control the price of exports and tax goods coming in and out of the kingdom. Muslim merchants coming to trade brought Islam, Arabic language, coinage, and their business practices as well as goods to trade for the salt and gold that Ghana was known for. The King of Ghana eventually converted to Islam and employed Muslims as government councils and officials allowing the spread of Islam to expand and the two cultures to defuse. After

The Empire of Mali inherited all of gold mines that the previous Ghanaian empire controlled, as well as gold from other kingdoms, Futa-Jallon, Wangara (Goodwin). Mali “grew in influence and replace Ghana as the main producer and distributor of gold . . . [as well as] salt mines, diamonds, and copper production” (Mali). This ensure Mali as the dominant economic marketplace throughout the world. Mali’s strategic location allowed control of trade routes throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the Niger River, North Africa, as well as many other routes connecting to different parts of the world.

Ghana: wealthy because of gold; declined because of loss of trade, drought, and pressure from outside forces

Even before Europeans came to Africa, the kingdoms in Africa were quite wealthy. As previously mentioned, Ghana was a very strong kingdom in which its people were also incredibly wealthy. Their government appeared to be wealthy as well, which assisted Ghana in being able to control the gold and salt trade. An Arab scholar, Al-Bakri, wrote about the king’s court and how basically everything that the court had was gold (Document 2). The point of view of this document was also positive, and that is because scholars are usually upper class, just like the king’s court. Al-Bakri thought very highly of the court, and explains in detail how every person has some gold on them and how their surroundings also possessed gold. Ghana had a strong army and an intelligent political counsel, which made other countries fear them. Nations around Ghana did not want to start problems and usually just maintained peace with Ghana (Document 3). Ghana was not the only successful kingdom, one of the leaders of Mali, Mansa Musa,

The Kingdom of Ghana was a rich and mysterious country. The Ancient country lay where Maturia, Mali, and Senegal are to day. The kingdom existed from 700-1200 A.D. but people had been living in the area since the Fourth century A.D. Ghana's Golden age was from the Ninth to the Eleventh century A.D. During this time gold was abundant along with salt and other valuable goods. These items made Ghana a rich nation where the primary income was made from trading with the Arabs and other African nations. Even though trading was the main source of income, most of the common people were farmers. These farmers grew crops like corn, wheat, and rice. All of these reasons make the Ancient Kingdom of Ghana a desireable place to move to.

The Empire of Mali was the “Land of Gold” to all of Eurasia. Their huge abundance of gold brought many people from all around the world in seek for this valuable treasure. The Empire of Mali was founded by Sundiata after the Ghana Empire fell. Sundiata created a new society that involved powerful warriors and elite craftsman. He also created a society with religious freedom. Sundiata ultimately helped Mali grow and prosper in the beginning years. Mali developed into a site of cultural exchange because of the gold-salt trade, which quickly resulted in religion being mixed together and many merchants becoming eager for a large profit.

How did the polity of Ancient Ghana arise? How did Ghana maintain its strength and what were some of the challenges? The Wagadou Empire was a monarchy, and the king was regarded by the people to be a semi-divine figure who kept order and justice. Ghana was not rich in natural resources as it was located along a major trade route between ivory and gold producing areas and salt miners in the Sahara. Merchants were lured into Ghana by the wealth of gold and prosperity helped the capital, Kumbi Saleh, to be a center of trade. The country will eventually become a prosperous entrepôt. Ancient Ghana derived power and wealth from gold and transportation of camels during the Sub-Saharan trade to increase the quantity of goods that were transported. The traditional Ghanan religions and Islam spread

During the beginning of fourteenth century, Mali, which means “where the king lives” was one of the greatest states in the world due to its discovery of trade and ways to achieve economic growth (Shallal 3). Mali was a very wealthy country in salt and gold trades across the Sahara. In addition, much of Mali’s wealth came as a result of its significant mineral beyond the east. Although the process of the gold trade was seen as the main economic source, the actual main course of the economy was agricultural production in the rural areas (Hall 62). Therefore, Mali was much more advanced than Ghana because Ghana did not have this agricultural advantage (Hall 62). Agricultural production was such a great asset because the capital of Mali, Niani, was centered in the heart of some of the most productive and fertile land (Hall 64). Mali stretched across the southern savannah; this caused rainfall to be adequate enough for there to be a surplus of food which allowed for trade (Hall 64). People in different areas of the Mali empire specialized in different crops. The main crops produced were sorghum and millet, and rice was produced in the Gambia valley and the Niger floodplain (Hall 65). Surplus food like the crops listed above were then traded from one district to another. However, other crops were traded as well. Some specific examples include the trade of sorghum and millet from the savannah to the trading town of Sahel (Hall 66). Most of this

The Kingdom of Ghana was the first of the great trading kingdoms that made iron which gave them an advantage against other groups in West Africa whom the conquered. The Kingdom of Ghana was at the center of African trade routes and the Ghana grew rich by taxing the traders and thus creating a great empire.

This in turn gave the kings of Ghana more power and could command the services of many descent lines. They were able to raise big armies and employ larger numbers of messengers and other servants. (Ghanaweb)

Africans had trading centers that you can export and import goods throughout the world. African people were very wealthy due to how much gold they had trading for salt because salt was very precious. They created many buildings and sculptures that impacted people's lives and had many resources back then. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the people of Africa had many achievements throughout their history.

Because political leaders could not re-establish the empire after the attacks, smaller empires battled for control of Ghana’s political and economical power. Smaller states competed to gain dominance of Ghana’s gold and salt trade routes, which provided the former empire with its vast wealth. These trade routes exported gold to the Mediterranean Sea area and imported items such as salt and North African goods. One leader, Sundiata Keita, from a small African state defeated its rival to take over power. (Tesfu, 2017)

One achievement made by western african empires in economics were their trading. This allowed people from other tribes to trade with them so that they could make money or gain resources. One political achievement that these empires had was that all of these civilizations had remarkable rulers. Mali had Mansa Musa, Ghana had Kaya Maghan, and Songhai had Sunni Ali. Also, people never tried to rebel against these rulers. One cultural achievement these empires had is that they were able to convert to Islam. Mali, songhai, and Ghana were able to convert their religion to Islam without any major disputes between the people.

The Trans-Saharan gold trade was an important and significant part of Africa’s history. It brought about the Ghana Empire, the use of camels for trading, and the spread of the Muslim religion. It is one of the more important historical trading regimes and led to hundred of years of power for the Ghana Empire. By approximately 300 AD, people in Africa were beginning to see the value in gold, which one part of Africa had a surplus of. The area that held this surplus is modern day Mali and Mauritania, but became known from 300-1200 AD as the Empire of Ghana.

In addition to being known for its lush forests, diverse animal life, and miles of sandy beaches along a picturesque coast, Ghana is also celebrated for its rich history—its habitation possibly dating from 10,000 bc—and as a fascinating repository of cultural heritage. The country takes it name from the great medieval trading empire that was located northwest of the modern-day state until its demise in the 13th century. Direct sea trade with Europe, established in the 15th century, had much impact on the area’s inhabitants, many of whom actively traded with the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and other Europeans. Forts and castles, many of which still dot the Ghanaian coast today, were constructed by Europeans to protect their trade interests. Although trading was originally centred on the gold that was readily available in the area (and from which the future British colony the Gold Coast would take its name), the focus shifted to the lucrative slave trade in the 17th century. The area later became known for growing cacao, the source of cocoa beans.