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.

1. Chapter 15
Pgs. 406-429

2. Explain effects of Islam on North
Africa
Learning Goals

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

7. Section 1

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..

13. Islamic
Invasions

14. Section 2

15. Learning goals
Explain how the gold-salt trade
led to the rise of Ghana.
Describe the Songhai empire.

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??....

17. Gold-Salt Trade
Berbers
SALT
GOLD

18. Gold
Gold “Money”, Ghana/Ivory Coast
At least 2/3 of world’s Gold supply came from here
til 1350!!

19. Salt

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

22. 2. Mali Empire [13c-15c]
SALT
GOLD

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!!

24. There are 3 Important guys in
Mali…

25. #1. Sundiata [1210-1255]
“Lion Prince”

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

27. #2. Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1332]

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

29. Timbuktu-”Heavenly Clay”

30. Timbuktu Rooftop, Mosque

31. Great Mosque at Djenne, Mali

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!!

34. “Mali”
• Who:
• What:
• Where:
• When:
• Why:

35. 3. Songhai Empire [15c-16c]
SALT
GOLD

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

38. Askia Mohammed’s Tomb [1443-1538]
Gao, Mali

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!!!

40. “Songhai” (NC)
• Who:
• What:
• Where:
• When:
• Why:

41. Benin Empire [15c-19c]

42. Bronze Heads
from Benin (16c)

43. Benin Bronze Leopard

44. You still need to do NC:
• Hausa (pg. 417)
• Yoruba (pg. 418)
• Benin (pg. 419)

45. Section 3

46. Learning Goal
Explain how Islam influenced
East African peoples

48. African Trade Routes

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.

50. Swahili-Speaking Areas of E. Africa
SWAHILI [“the coast’] = Bantu + some Arabic

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!!

56. Overland & Sea Trade Routes by 16c

57. African Trade [15c-17c]