The document summarizes the effects of Islam on North Africa in three sections. Section 1 explains how Muslim states like the Almoravids and Almohads brought Islam to North Africa and established Islamic rule. Section 2 discusses the Islamic invasions and the rise of empires like Ghana, Mali, and Songhai due to the gold-salt trade. Section 3 explains how Islam influenced East African peoples like the Swahili who blended Bantu and Arabic languages and cultures.
3. Pre-Historic Africa
In early Africa:
Hunter-Gather societies
Small groups: 10-100 ppl
Earliest Africans:
“Efe”– Forest Dwellers
Social Structure:
Elder male in charge,
Women = gatherers,
No formal written laws!
…they were Stateless Societies
run by “Lineages”
4. “Lineages” (NC)
• Who: Early-Africans
• What: descendants of a common
ancestor- family line.
• Where: Africa
• When: 800-1500
• Why: in African societies, families are
organized in these family groups
5. How do you trace ‘Lineage’?
Patrilineal (NC) Matrilineal (NC)
• Family line traced through • Family line traced through
FATHER MOTHER
• Inheritance passes from • Inheritance passes from
father to son mother to SON
• When a boy marries, his • MEN still hold the power
wife & kids live with HIS & authority
parents
6. “Stateless Societies” (NC)
Who: Africans
What: African groups that developed
systems of governing based on lineages, not
rulers; NO central power!!
Where: CENTRAL Africa
When: 800-1500
Why: instead of having one political ruler,
authority was balanced among powerful
lineages/families = different from the rest of
the world
9. Muslim States
• Muslims from Middle East travel into
Northern Africa & bring ISLAM, so…
• North Africa = Muslim!
• Rulers = Muslim!
• Islamic Law!
• Many are still Muslim today!!
10. 2 groups of Islamic North
Africans:
• Almoravids (1000s)
• Almohads (1100s)
11. “Almoravids” (NC)
• Who: Nomadic “Berbers” that became
Islamic Africans
• What: group of Berber Islamic Africans, a
strict religious brotherhood that lived in a
monastery; “people of the ribat/
(monastery)”
• Where: NORTH Africa
• When: 1000s-1100s
• Why: they took over North Africa, Ghana,
and Spain (where they were called the
Moors) and made them Muslim
12. “Almohads” (NC)
• Who: Nomadic “Berbers” who became
Islamic Africans
• What: group of Berber Islamic Africans
that took over the Almoravids
• Where: North Africa
• When: 1100s
• Why: they took over the Almoravids,
conquered Spain– those areas have a lot
of Muslims today..
16. 1. Empire of Ghana
• Berbers found out that camels could cover
larger distances than other pack animals
(oxen, donkeys, horses), so….
They travel on new routes across the
desert & trade INCREASED!! (worksheet)
The trade routes go through Ghana
(wksht)
• …what did they trade??....
20. • Ghana rulers controlled trade = becomes
super rich
• Trade = Ghana Islam
• In 1076-- Almoravids conquer Ghana
• = Gold & Salt trade is disrupted….
• = Ghana never regains power!!
21. “Ghana” (NC)
• Who: Soninke farmers
• What: powerful empire founded by the
Soninke farmers named after their war
chief: Ghana; controlled Gold & Salt trade
• Where: West Africa
• When:
• Why: Ghana rulers controlled trade in W.
Africa & commanded a large army=
powerful, rich empire; when trade fell apart
so did their power
23. 2. Mali Empire
• So, Ghana declines in power…
• = people in Ghana act on their own,
control themselves
• = miners find Gold! to the east of Ghana
(near the ocean)
• = trade routes to the East
• = new group- Mali- become rich & seize
power!!
26. “Sundiata” (NC)
• Who: Mali’s first great leader
• What: became Mali’s “Mansa” (Emperor),
took over Ghana, & ruled successfully
• Where: Mali, West Africa
• When: 1210?-1255
• Why: put able administrators in charge of
Mali’s $$, defense, & foreign affairs;
promoted agriculture; re-est. Gold-Salt
trade = important center of trade
28. “Mansa Musa” (NC)
• Who: important Islamic ruler of Mali after
Sundiata
• What: effectively ruled & expanded Mali
• Where: Mali, West Africa
• When: 1312-1332
• Why: he expanded Mali to 2x the size of
Ghana; divided large empire into
provinces w/ governors; built mosques;
Timbuktu became one of the most imp.
Cities under him
32. #3. Ibn Battuta (NC)
• Who: an Islamic traveler & historian
• What: traveled to all Islamic countries &
told people in Mali about it
• Where: from North Africa, traveled to Mali
• When: 1352
• Why: he traveled to Islamic countries &
learned about them – he then informed
those in Mali about it
33. Last part on Mali…
• After Mansa Musa:
his successors lacked his ability to
govern well…
goldfields developed somewhere else
• = Gold trade shifted and went away…
• = The empire of Mali weakened!!
36. Sunni Ali [r.1464-1492]
• Aggressive Muslim
ruler of Songhai
• Built a vast empire
through Military
conquest
• Captured Timbuktu
from Mali
• Created centralized
gov’t
37. Askia Mohammed [r.1493-1529]
• Muslim rebel that took
over Sunni Ali’s son
• Excellent
administrator:
• Set up tax system
• Put officials in charge
of treasury, military,
agriculture
39. The end of the Songhai…
• Songhai didn’t have modern weapons!!
(only swords & spears)
• = Morrocans invaded w. gunpowder &
cannons!! AHH!
• = Morrocan troops quickly defeat
Songhai…
• = ENDS 1000yrs. of powerful kingdoms in
West Africa!!!
49. “Swahili”
• Who: Bantu-speaking people
• What: Arabic blended with Bantu
Language = Swahili
• Where: East Africa
• When: 1100-1300
• Why: this was created because of
increasing trade between Bantus in East
Africa & Persia, India, and Arabia.
52. Great Zimbabwe [1200-1450]
“Zimbabwe” = “stone enclosure”
53. “Great Zimbabwe” (NC)
• Who: Shona people
• What: a city which grew into an empire built
on gold trade
• Where: South-Eastern Africa
• When: 1200-1450
• Why: controlled trade routes = became rich
& powerful = leaders taxed the traders who
travelled through = became economic,
political, religious center of it’s empire;
eventually was abandoned
54. Manamotopa Empire [1450-1630]
Who: Founded by Mutota from Great Zimbabwe
What: new empire that replaced Great Zim
in power; military dominated
Why: conquered all of Zimbabwe; control of
Eastern Africa; forced conquered areas
to mine gold for them; Portuguese
took over = European POWER!!