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Achievements of african empires before the europeans arrived
Rise of imperialism in Africa
Rise of imperialism in Africa
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As rich as people today may seem, nobody has ever been as wealthy as Mansa Musa, as his name translates to sultan of the wealthy. Mansa Musa ruled Mali from 1312 to 1337 BCE, and during his reign helped bring a golden age to his empire. Mali was known as the main source of gold in the world because if it’s tax on the gold that came in and out of the empire. Mansa Musa had managed to conquer 24 cities that he used for trade as well as lengthen his empire. (Empires of Medieval West Africa) But possibly the most well-known accomplishment of Mansa Musa was his hajj to Mecca, where he traveled through Egypt with an entourage of 60,000 men, with one fifth of them being slaves to carry his gold. (World Eras) Mansa Musa had a large impact on the Afro-Eurasian …show more content…
His interest in the muslim religion came from him being taught it when he was young. His devotion to Islam is one of the reasons why he is remembered today, his hajj was one of the more important ways of him putting Mali on the map as many countries near it had no idea it had existed. Mansa Musa’s devotion to Islam can be seen through the quote “Islam had taken hold in Mali around 1000, but historians disagree as to whether Sundiata was a Muslim or not. As for Musa, he later became famous for his devotion to the faith. Like many Muslims, he would undertake the hajj (HAHJ), the ritual journey to the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Arabia, a duty for all Muslims who can afford to do so. He was apparently the third Malian ruler to do so.” (Middle Ages Reference Library). Mansa Musa may or may not have been the first Islamic ruler of Mali, but was the one of the first ones to undertake the hajj. The most powerful man ever who was also muslim made others want to be a part of that too. His subjects respected him so much that some converted to Islam. His devotion to Islam was one of the most important way that Islam was spread in Africa. Mansa Musa’s devotion to Islam caused many people who wanted to be like him join the religion …show more content…
His pilgrimage lasted from 1324 to 1325 but had much more of an impact that a regular hajj on his way through Egypt. He gave away so much gold that he nearly destroyed their economy, bringing the price of gold down from 25 dirhams to 22 dirhams. Which translates to a whole dollar deficit in USD. (Kingdom of Mali Primary Source Documents) A quote that describes the fall of gold prices in Egypt can be seen here. “Gold was at a high price in Egypt until they came in that year. The mithqal did not go below 25 dirhams and was generally above, but from that time its value fell and it cheapened in price and has remained cheap till now. The mithqal does not exceed 22 dirhams or less. This has been the state of affairs for about twelve years until this day by reason of the large amount of gold which they brought into Egypt and spent there. …” (al-Umari) Mansa Musa’s charity of his gold made an entire empire’s gold price drop by 3 dirhams. The supply went so high up and the demand was so low that the economy in Egypt began to go down. His fleet included 60,000 companions, 12,000 slaves carrying 4 pounds of gold each, and 80 camels laden with 50 to 300 pounds of gold each. He gave all of that away. His hajj caused one of the worst economy crashes cause by a man ever, showcasing his true
The town of Mecca was the birthplace of Islam, at first the leaders of the city refused the changing of this new religion and forced Muhammad to leave. Muhammad returned and preached to the people about what he had heard, that there is only one god. Islam spread quickly for two main reasons they are the message and military conquest.
Mediterranean and Mecca which was a great trading post at the time. As an experienced
While adding up all the gold mentioned in Document D, and adjusting the prices for inflation, the reader was left with the impression Mansa Musa had approximately $571,860,000 worth of gold with him in Cairo during his Hajj. After adding in all the other luxury goods Musa brought with him, another $247,080,000 is added to the amount of money he brought with him, ending with a total of $818,940,000. This is around $399,000,000,000 off from the original estimate. One could quite logically assume that Mansa Musa would not have brought his entire life savings with him to Cairo, but since he was a Muslim on Hajj, Mansa Musa most likely brought more than the average person to complete the third pillar of Islam; charity. Still, one billion dollars is very far off from 400
Islam is presented in the Epic of Sundiata in a way that encourages listeners to embrace Islam over their indigenous belief systems. The epic accomplishes this by incorporating elements and practices of the indigenous beliefs into Islamic tradition; and by adapting certain Islamic mythology — such as the Jinn — to the existing West African culture. It also asserts the superior power and strength of those who derive their power from Allah and the Jinn, to those whose power is based in ancestral worship and fetishes. Through conflict, adaptation, and tolerance, the Epic of Sundiata presents an accessible version of Islam to the people of the Mali Empire; and promotes the acceptance of this new faith over the indigenous beliefs of the area.
Therefore, traders don’t have to carry as much food specifically for the camels. The camel was used to spread the religion of Islam. As stated in document 2, the powerful new force of North Africa was Islam. Islam is a religion that originated in the Middle East and is very popular in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Mansa Musa had used the camel to spread Islam and go on a hajj to Mecca. This is an example of ecological effects. Timbuktu also benefited from the arid climate of the Sahara as well as the use of camels. Timbuktu had become very wealthy due to the Gold and Salt trade which took place during the fifth century CE. Gold and salt had a very high demand at the time and lead to a golden age in Timbuktu. They were the center of trade and education due to long distance trade along the Trans-Saharan trade routes. The Sahara desert is not completely waterless and many cultures have developed from the Mediterranean Sea and Niger River. As stated in document 1, the desert has excellent supplies of water to support rich culture and gain livelihood. Many successful cities have
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
achieved unprecedented popularity in both Egypt and the Arab world. He was said to be
African society used bodies of water such as the Nile, the Red Sea, and many more to transport goods across the continent and generate profit. For example, the city of “Aksum reached its height between 325-360. Aksum’s location made it an important international trading center.” After analyzing the map of trade routes in Document 1, it is clear Aksum was strategically built to have ties to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These two bodies of water give the city the freedom to import and export goods. Additionally, this work of trade did not come without reward. Cities who succeeded in the business became overly wealthy and had surpluses of gold and other riches. A king, Mansa Mansa, who expanded the Mali kingdom to be twice the size of Ghana, was not afraid to show his wealth as he showered other cities in riches out of generosity. In Cairo, Egypt, “there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him.” This is just one of the many examples of wealth in african cities and empires. What is impressive is the fact that before European trade became an influence, African people had already created a successful and very profitable system of
Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta, is well-known for being one of the greatest travelers of his time. Battuta’s descriptive account of his travels to East and West Africa in the fourteenth century provides important insight into African Islamic life at that point in time. Although Battuta and the peoples in black Africa shared the same religion, he comes to realize that sharing a religion is not enough to completely relate to a different group of people. The story of Ibn Battuta in Black Africa illustrates the difficulties he faced in relating to these peoples due to the non-traditional role of women, different religious customs, and frequent misinterpretation of situations.
There was also a great city in Mali called Timbuktu. It was very important because it was a center for trade and it aided the Muslim art and culture which helped to spread Islam.
As a youth, Olajuwon predominantly played handball and soccer (Bethel). He was raised as a Muslim in Lagos, Nigeria. Today, 45% of Nigeria’s population is Muslim (Kapit). Islam is a religion that’s foundation is based on the messages received by Muhammad in the 600’s AD. Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca. Muhammad is God’s messenger in the Muslim faith. Muslims believe that Muhammad was visited in a cave by an angel and the angel said, “Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from clots of blood! Recite! Your Lord is the most bountiful one; who by the pen taught man what he did not know” (Salter 172). Olajuwon ended up setting a good example for Muslims on how to live this faith.
The spread of Islam in Africa had taken course from a number of factors, including external and internal forces. After my analyzing of the spread of Islam in Africa, I have gather three main themes that stuck out during the expansion of Islam: Islam and trade, the conversion conditions of Islam, and the economics/political development involving Islam. These three themes provide great insight on how Islam started to spread through out Africa. Through trade the culture and religion of Islam was spread to many different areas. This correlates to the conversion of different people, which helped spread Islam. By these conversions Islam was able to establish Islamic states, which played a factor in the development of strong economic and political
Ibn Battuta is known as the greatest explorer, traveling thousands of miles during a 30-year span. He was born in Tangier, Morocco. He studied the Sharia, the sacred law of the Muslims based on the Koran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. In 1325, at age 21, he left his homeland for Mecca. He intended to complete the Hajj in Mecca, but he also wished to study Islamic law along the way. During this Journey, it sparked his lasting interest in travel. We begin this essay diving into the East African coast, the dangers of the Sahara Desert, and his thoughts on the traditions in the kingdom of Mali.
...a promoted education in his Kingdom by bringing Arab scholars who helped him to build the Universities which made its Capital Timbuktu becoming the center of Islamic learning. However, his spending of the gold left a negative impact in Egypt’s gold market and Egypt’s economy became unstable for more than a decade. So his pilgrimage benefited his people at the same time it affected other states. Though that is the case, Mansa Musa left a legacy that will still be remembered not only in Mali or Islam but also in the World history.
The fall of Ghana left a power vacuum that in 1050, the Almoravids, Muslims of North Africa tried to fill, but were ultimately taken over by the rising Kingdom of Mali. The man, who laid the foundations for the Mali Empire, was Sundiata, who belonged to the Keita Clan of the Malinke people in the Kingdom of Kangaba. Sundiata had 12 royal brothers who were heirs to the throne, but Sumanguru, the ruler of the neighboring state of Kaniaga, overran the Kingdom of Kangaba. Sumanguru had every one of Sundiata’s brothers murdered, but spared Sundiata due to his sickly appearance. This was a huge mistake by Sumanguru, as Sundiata would grow strong and eventually assemble an army that would challenge him and Kaniaga. In 1235, Sundiata would have his revenge, defeating Sumanguru at the Battle of Kir...