West African Empires

1
West African Empires

• Mali and Songhai

2
What river did both Ghana and Mali form around?

• Both Ghana and Mali grew around the Niger River.

3
Describe Sundiata.

• Sundiata, unhappy with the ruler of Mali, built
  an army and took over.
• Along with Mali, Sundiata took over Ghana,
  gaining control of Ghanas trade routes.
• He also gained control of Ghanas gold and salt.
• He tried to improve agriculture in Mali, and
  introduced cotton (which was used to make
  clothing).
• He got rid of all local leaders, mansas, taking
  their title along with both political and
  religious control over Mali.
• After his death, the name mansa was used for all
  rulers of Mali.

4
What was a mansa?

• A mansa was originally a local leader in Mali.
• The meaning of mansa changed after Sundiata got
  rid of all of the mansas and used the title for
  himself.
• After Sundiata, mansa was used to identify the
  supreme leader.

5
Who was Mansa Musa?

• Mansa Musa was a Muslim leader.
• He brought wealth and fame to Mali in the 1300s.
• He also spread the Muslim religion throughout
  West Africa.
• Trade grew under Mansa Musas rule, especially in
  the city of Timbuktu.
• Mansa Musa was extremely religious and believed
  very strongly in the importance of an education.
• Mansa Musa wanted everyone to be able to read the
  Arabic language so that they could read the
  Koran.
• He also built several mosques throughout the
  empire of Mali to spread Islam.

6
Describe the importance of Timbuktu.

• Timbuktu was a very important trading city under
  Mansa Musas rule.
• People from all over Africa and Asia came to
  Timbuktu to trade gold, salt, precious metals,
  clothing, slaves, etc.

7
How did the empire of Mali end?

• After Mansa Musa died, his son took over.
• His son was a weak ruler and failed to stop
  invaders who came in and destroyed Timbuktu.
• The Tuareg, nomads, eventually came in and took
  over the area.

8
What happened in Songhai in the 1300s?

• Mansa Musa took over Songhai.
• When the empire of Mali weakened after Mansa
  Musas death, the people of Songhai rebelled and
  took back their land.

9
How were the Songhai leaders and the North
African Berbers similar?

• The Songhai leaders and North African Berbers
  were similar because they were both Muslim.
• This made them more willing to trade with each
  other and made trade easier.

10
Who led to the expansion of the Songhai Empire?
Describe him.

• Sunni Ali lead the expansion of the Songhai
  empire.
• He worked to bring the empire together, and told
  the people that they needed to work together.
• He was a mixture of Muslim and local religions.
• He brought peace to Songhai.

11
What happened after Sunni Ali died?

• After Sunni Ali died, his son, a non-Muslim, took
  over.
• The people of Songhai were worried that a
  non-Muslim leader might be harmful, and rebelled.
• Muhammad Ture took over and was given the name
  Askia the Great.

12
Who was Muhammad Ture?

• Muhammad Ture overthrew Sunni Alis son and
  became known as Askia the Great.
• He believed in the importance of education,
  building many educational buildings and mosques.
• He made Timbuktu and Djenne learning centers.
  People traveled here from all over North Africa
  to study math, science, medicine, grammar, and
  law.
• He set up 5 provinces in Songhai and appointed
  leaders for each one.

13
Describe the importance of Djenne.

• Djenne was a culturally rich city just like
  Timbuktu.
• Djenne was a city known as a learning center.

14
Describe the reasons for the end of the Songhai
Empire.

• Morocco was interested in Songhais land and
  riches, especially its salt.
• Morocco attacked Songhai using weapons that were
  much better than those used by the Songhai
  soldiers, easily destroying its cities.
• Trade also changed, shifting to sea routes as
  opposed to land routes.

15
Writing a Eulogy- Assignment

• What is a Eulogy?
• A speech given to honor someone who has died.
• Choose two of the following four leaders and
  write a Eulogy for them.
• Sundiata
• Sunni Ali
• Mansa Musa
• Askia the Great

16
Writing a Eulogy- Expectations

• All spelling and grammar must be correct.
• You must demonstrate knowledge of the leaders you
  choose to write about.
• Your information must be factual.
• You must write your Eulogies as if you were
  friends with the leaders you decide to choose.
• You should be commemorating the lives of these
  leaders. AKA- You should be talking about them in
  a good way! (Discuss their achievements and
  contributions)