Question

The Ghana Empire was the best known and most powerful of the medieval trading empires in West Africa. Led by Mande-speaking peoples of Soninke clans, the empire took its name from the Mande word for “warrior king.” Although the modern country of Ghana was named after the empire, ancient Ghana was located hundreds of miles north and west of modern Ghana, in an area that is now part of Mali and Mauritania. Over the centuries the empire’s capital was moved from one place to another; archaeologists have tentatively identified Kumbi, 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of modern Bamako, Mali, as the final capital. According to unconfirmed Soninke tradition, the empire of Ghana originated in the 4th century ad. It grew as the Soninkes annexed neighboring kingdoms and flourished from the 7th through the 13th century. Ghana capitalized on its location, serving as an intermediary between the Arab and Berber salt traders of the Sahara to the north and the gold and ivory dealers to the south. The vast wealth of the empire was founded on taxes on trade, primarily of salt and gold but also of a wide variety of goods, including the crafts of local artisans. The decline of the Ghana Empire began with the rise of the Almoravids, a Muslim people from the western Sahara, in the 11th century. Ghana was officially a pagan state, and the Almoravids invaded in an effort to convert their neighbors. Following a prolonged siege, the Almoravids captured Kumbi in 1076 and forced local residents to submit to Islam. During the period of Almoravid control over Ghana, which lasted for only about a decade, the empire began to lose its domination over the gold trade—and therefore much of its power. Kingdoms that had been subject to the empire began to declare their independence. In 1203 one of them, the Susu kingdom, took control of most of Ghana, including Kumbi. With the defeat of the Susu army in 1235 and the fall of Kumbi five years later at the hands of the Malinke chief Sundiata, the Ghana Empire came to an end. Sundiata incorporated what w

Answer 1

The Ghana Empire was a wealthy and influential medieval empire in West Africa, benefiting from robust trade networks and skilled leadership. The empire declined due to Almoravid invasions and loss of trade control, leading to political fragmentation and the rise of subsequent empires like Mali.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Ghana Empire in Medieval West Africa

The Ghana Empire emerged as a powerful trading nation in medieval West Africa, flourishing from the sixth to the thirteenth centuries. Its territories lay at the intersection of present-day western Mali and southeastern Mauritania. The Empire thrived by rolling out a broad trading network across North Africa and beyond, dealing in commodities like gold, salt, and ivory. The introduction of camels markedly bolstered such trade between Morocco and the Niger River, propelling the formation of larger political entities.

As a result of well-established trade routes and the innovation in farming and ironworking, the Ghana Empire experienced a period of prosperity and expansion. Politically, the empire's king wielded considerable authority, encompassing religious, judicial, military, and political powers, with succession being matrilineal. Noteworthy leaders like Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa later laid the foundation of the subsequent Mali Empire on the remnants of Ghana, signaling the transition of power in the region.

The empire's decline began with the rise of the Almoravids in the eleventh century and subsequent invasions led to political fragmentation and loss of control over the lucrative gold trade. This sequence of events eventually ushered in the dissolution of the Ghana Empire and the rise of new kingdoms, charting a new course for West African history.