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david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_0 | GREAT EMPIRES OF THE PAST
# EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
DAVID CONRAD
GREAT EMPIRES OF THE PAST
# Empires of Medieval West Africa
Ghana, Mali, and Songhay
DAVID C. CONRAD
Facts On File, Inc.
Great Empires of the Past: EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
Copyri... | GREAT EMPIRES OF THE PAST
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
DAVID CONRAD
GREAT EMPIRES OF THE PAST
Empires of Medieval West Africa
Ghana, Mali, and Songhay
DAVID C. CONRAD
Facts On File, Inc.
Great Empires of the Past: EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
Copyright © 2005 David C. Conrad
David C. Conrad is professor... | [
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"img_ref_2"
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david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_1 | # Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Conrad, David C.
Empires of medieval West Africa : Ghana, Mali, and Songhay / David Conrad.
p. cm. - (Great empires of the past)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-5562-9 (acid-free paper)
1. Ghana (Empire) - History - Juvenile literature. 2.... | Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Conrad, David C.
Empires of medieval West Africa : Ghana, Mali, and Songhay / David Conrad.
p. cm. - (Great empires of the past)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-5562-9 (acid-free paper)
1. Ghana (Empire) - History - Juvenile literature. 2. M... | Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 791 | 780 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_2 | Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755.
You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.... | Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755.
You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.... | Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 1,571 | 594 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_3 | Photo and art credits: AFP/Getty: 112; Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Corbis: 4; Awad Awad/Getty: 39; Bettmann/Corbis: 63; Ralph Clevenger: 68, 70; David Conrad: 8, 12, 23, 30, 40, 54, 56, 73, 82, 88, 95, 104, 118; Christine Drake, 102; Hulton Archive/Getty: 111; Jiman Lai/Getty: 108; Simon Maina/Getty: 43; Museum of African Art... | Photo and art credits: AFP/Getty: 112; Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Corbis: 4; Awad Awad/Getty: 39; Bettmann/Corbis: 63; Ralph Clevenger: 68, 70; David Conrad: 8, 12, 23, 30, 40, 54, 56, 73, 82, 88, 95, 104, 118; Christine Drake, 102; Hulton Archive/Getty: 111; Jiman Lai/Getty: 108; Simon Maina/Getty: 43; Museum of African Art... | Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data | [
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] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 2,165 | 659 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_4 | # CONTENTS
Introduction 5
## PART I HISTORY
- CHAPTER 1 The Ghana Empire 17
- CHAPTER 2 The Mali Empire 33
- CHAPTER 3 The Songhay Empire 49
## PART II SOCIETY AND CULTURE
- CHAPTER 4 The Soninke People of the Ghana Empire 67
- CHAPTER 5 The Mande People of the Mali Empire 83
- CHAPTER 6 The Songhay People 97
- Ep... | CONTENTS
Introduction 5
PART I HISTORY
- CHAPTER 1 The Ghana Empire 17
- CHAPTER 2 The Mali Empire 33
- CHAPTER 3 The Songhay Empire 49
PART II SOCIETY AND CULTURE
- CHAPTER 4 The Soninke People of the Ghana Empire 67
- CHAPTER 5 The Mande People of the Mali Empire 83
- CHAPTER 6 The Songhay People 97
- Epilogue 1... | CONTENTS | [
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david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_5 | # Introduction
THE GEOGRAPHY OF NORTHWESTERN AFRICA HAS SHAPED its history in dramatic ways, starting with the Sahara Desert—an extremely important geographical feature in the history of the three great medieval African empires described in this book. Rock paintings found in mountains of the Sahara reveal that until a... | Introduction
THE GEOGRAPHY OF NORTHWESTERN AFRICA HAS SHAPED its history in dramatic ways, starting with the Sahara Desert—an extremely important geographical feature in the history of the three great medieval African empires described in this book. Rock paintings found in mountains of the Sahara reveal that until abo... | Introduction | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 3,245 | 738 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_6 | By around 3000 B.C.E. the region had begun to resemble what would eventually be known as Sahara, the Arabic word for "desert." Rock paintings from this period show that the big game animals were gone, having retreated north and south to wetter climate zones. Many of the human inhabitants also moved northward into the M... | By around 3000 B.C.E. the region had begun to resemble what would eventually be known as Sahara, the Arabic word for "desert." Rock paintings from this period show that the big game animals were gone, having retreated north and south to wetter climate zones. Many of the human inhabitants also moved northward into the M... | Introduction | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 3,983 | 472 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_7 | Although it became increasingly difficult to survive in the Sahara, many people stayed there. Some of them settled in oases—areas in the desert with springs and wells that enabled them to cultivate date palms and vegetable gardens. Today, the population of the Sahara is still about 2.5 million. In addition to people li... | Although it became increasingly difficult to survive in the Sahara, many people stayed there. Some of them settled in oases—areas in the desert with springs and wells that enabled them to cultivate date palms and vegetable gardens. Today, the population of the Sahara is still about 2.5 million. In addition to people li... | Introduction | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 4,455 | 591 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_8 | ## OPPOSITE Geography Shapes Destiny
The Sahara Desert and its vast expanses of drifting sands played a large role in the development of the lands inhabited by the medieval West African kingdoms.
5
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
## WHAT ARE CONNECTIONS?
Throughout this book, and all the books in the Great Empires... | OPPOSITE Geography Shapes Destiny
The Sahara Desert and its vast expanses of drifting sands played a large role in the development of the lands inhabited by the medieval West African kingdoms.
5
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
WHAT ARE CONNECTIONS?
Throughout this book, and all the books in the Great Empires of th... | Introduction | OPPOSITE Geography Shapes Destiny | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 5,046 | 793 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_9 | ## The Sahel
On the southern fringe of the Sahara is the Sahel, a marginal area of transition from desert to savanna. Sahel is the Arabic word for "shore." It is as if the Sahara were a great ocean of sand and rock, the camels that transport goods across the desert were ships, and the large market towns were sea-ports... | The Sahel
On the southern fringe of the Sahara is the Sahel, a marginal area of transition from desert to savanna. Sahel is the Arabic word for "shore." It is as if the Sahara were a great ocean of sand and rock, the camels that transport goods across the desert were ships, and the large market towns were sea-ports. N... | Introduction | The Sahel | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 5,839 | 535 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_10 | During the period from about 1000 B.C.E. to about 1000 C.E., however, the Sahel had a wetter climate. There was enough grass for pasturing cattle, sheep, and goats, and fertile soil for farmers to cultivate grains such as millet, sorghum, and fonio (a type of millet). In those times it was possible to produce enough of... | During the period from about 1000 B.C.E. to about 1000 C.E., however, the Sahel had a wetter climate. There was enough grass for pasturing cattle, sheep, and goats, and fertile soil for farmers to cultivate grains such as millet, sorghum, and fonio (a type of millet). In those times it was possible to produce enough of... | Introduction | The Sahel | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 6,374 | 785 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_11 | ## The Bilad al-Sudan
The savanna of sub-Saharan West Africa was first described in writing by Arab travelers and geographers, who called it the Bilad-al-Sudan, meaning "land of the blacks" (sudan is the Arabic word for "black person"). Because of the early use of that Arabic term, the West African savanna came to be ... | The Bilad al-Sudan
The savanna of sub-Saharan West Africa was first described in writing by Arab travelers and geographers, who called it the Bilad-al-Sudan, meaning "land of the blacks" (sudan is the Arabic word for "black person"). Because of the early use of that Arabic term, the West African savanna came to be cal... | Introduction | The Bilad al-Sudan | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 7,159 | 489 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_12 | The relatively fertile soil and grasslands of the savanna made it possible for the early occupants of the Western Sudan to harness their natural resources. They made the transition from basically surviving by hunting and gathering, to more reliable production of food by herding domestic livestock such as cattle, sheep,... | The relatively fertile soil and grasslands of the savanna made it possible for the early occupants of the Western Sudan to harness their natural resources. They made the transition from basically surviving by hunting and gathering, to more reliable production of food by herding domestic livestock such as cattle, sheep,... | Introduction | The Bilad al-Sudan | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 7,648 | 847 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_13 | ## The Inland Delta
Below the Sahel during the period after 5000 B.C.E., the great floodplain of the Middle Niger River became a refuge for populations leaving the desert. Gradually, through the centuries, the Inland Delta changed from a vast swamp into the kind of floodplain that exists there now. It is known as the ... | The Inland Delta
Below the Sahel during the period after 5000 B.C.E., the great floodplain of the Middle Niger River became a refuge for populations leaving the desert. Gradually, through the centuries, the Inland Delta changed from a vast swamp into the kind of floodplain that exists there now. It is known as the Inl... | Introduction | The Inland Delta | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 8,495 | 453 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_14 | The seasonal pattern in recent centuries has been that after the high water the Inland Delta floodwaters recede, leaving behind a network of small creeks and waterways, and in the northern regions a great many lakes. The Niger River and all the streams and lakes of the Inland Delta support abundant aquatic life, includ... | The seasonal pattern in recent centuries has been that after the high water the Inland Delta floodwaters recede, leaving behind a network of small creeks and waterways, and in the northern regions a great many lakes. The Niger River and all the streams and lakes of the Inland Delta support abundant aquatic life, includ... | Introduction | The Inland Delta | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 8,948 | 742 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_15 | ## The Biggest Desert in the World
The Sahara Desert stretches across Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, covering 3.3 million square miles. This represents about a third of the African continent, an area about the size of the United States. The Sahara receives less than three inches of rain a year, which i... | The Biggest Desert in the World
The Sahara Desert stretches across Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, covering 3.3 million square miles. This represents about a third of the African continent, an area about the size of the United States. The Sahara receives less than three inches of rain a year, which is w... | Introduction | The Biggest Desert in the World | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 9,690 | 828 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_16 | Some people think of the Sahara as a great ocean of sand dunes, but the dune part of the desert, called the erg, actually makes up only about 15 percent of its area. Even so, the Sahara is so vast that some of the dunes are truly enormous. There is one known as the Libyan Erg that is the size of France. About 70 percen... | Some people think of the Sahara as a great ocean of sand dunes, but the dune part of the desert, called the erg, actually makes up only about 15 percent of its area. Even so, the Sahara is so vast that some of the dunes are truly enormous. There is one known as the Libyan Erg that is the size of France. About 70 percen... | Introduction | The Biggest Desert in the World | [
"img_ref_5"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 10,518 | 593 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_17 | By 1000 C.E. the Niger River and neighboring regions supported widely scattered populations of fishermen, hunters, herders, and farmers, speaking a variety of languages. In the marginal lands around the Sahara, the Berber peoples based their economies on raising camels, sheep, and goats, long-distance transportation, a... | By 1000 C.E. the Niger River and neighboring regions supported widely scattered populations of fishermen, hunters, herders, and farmers, speaking a variety of languages. In the marginal lands around the Sahara, the Berber peoples based their economies on raising camels, sheep, and goats, long-distance transportation, a... | Introduction | The Biggest Desert in the World | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 11,111 | 616 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_18 | ## The River of Life
For more than 1,000 years, even to today, the Niger River has been the lifeblood of millions of people in West Africa. Fishing (shown here), transportation, and irrigation are the main uses of the waterway.
which can still be found there. On the rivers and lakes, fishermen using spears and nets h... | The River of Life
For more than 1,000 years, even to today, the Niger River has been the lifeblood of millions of people in West Africa. Fishing (shown here), transportation, and irrigation are the main uses of the waterway.
which can still be found there. On the rivers and lakes, fishermen using spears and nets harv... | Introduction | The River of Life | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 11,727 | 366 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_19 | Archaeological work has uncovered evidence that by 250 C.E. an urban population had developed at Jenne-Jeno in the floodplain between the Niger and Bani Rivers. As an urban center, Jenne-Jeno became one of the earliest cities of the Western Sudan, probably about the time that Kumbi Saleh was becoming the center of acti... | Archaeological work has uncovered evidence that by 250 C.E. an urban population had developed at Jenne-Jeno in the floodplain between the Niger and Bani Rivers. As an urban center, Jenne-Jeno became one of the earliest cities of the Western Sudan, probably about the time that Kumbi Saleh was becoming the center of acti... | Introduction | The River of Life | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 12,093 | 913 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_20 | This newly developing city was called Jenne, and it would eventually become one of the most important cities of the Mali and Songhay Empires.
| This newly developing city was called Jenne, and it would eventually become one of the most important cities of the Mali and Songhay Empires. | Introduction | The River of Life | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 13,006 | 143 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_21 | ## The Niger River
The Niger is the third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo. Its headwaters rise less than 200 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and
INTRODUCTION
flow northeast from the Futa Jalon mountain range that spans the border of modern Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Mande people of the Mali Emp... | The Niger River
The Niger is the third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo. Its headwaters rise less than 200 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and
INTRODUCTION
flow northeast from the Futa Jalon mountain range that spans the border of modern Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Mande people of the Mali Empire... | Introduction | The Niger River | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 13,149 | 528 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_22 | After descending from the highlands of Guinea, the Niger River is joined by many smaller rivers. It is about 1,000 yards wide by the time it slowly flows over the rocky riverbed at Bamako, the capital of today's Republic of Mali. Large riverboats cannot navigate on the Niger until the river is about 37 miles past Bamak... | After descending from the highlands of Guinea, the Niger River is joined by many smaller rivers. It is about 1,000 yards wide by the time it slowly flows over the rocky riverbed at Bamako, the capital of today's Republic of Mali. Large riverboats cannot navigate on the Niger until the river is about 37 miles past Bamak... | Introduction | The Niger River | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 13,677 | 506 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_23 | When the Niger gets beyond the city of Segu in Mali, it joins the Bani River and flows into a flat plain where the river slopes down only about 3.5 inches per mile. Once into the flat plain, the Niger branches into many different channels, creating a vast network of waterways. In a good year, heavy rains (up to 80 inch... | When the Niger gets beyond the city of Segu in Mali, it joins the Bani River and flows into a flat plain where the river slopes down only about 3.5 inches per mile. Once into the flat plain, the Niger branches into many different channels, creating a vast network of waterways. In a good year, heavy rains (up to 80 inch... | Introduction | The Niger River | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 14,183 | 596 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_24 | Beyond the major cities of Segu and Jenne in Mali, the Niger River reaches the great trading port of Mopti, where it turns north. Then, through hundreds of miles, the river turns gradually back to the east as it passes Timbuktu, until it is flowing southeastward past Gao. This great turn in the river, which continues t... | Beyond the major cities of Segu and Jenne in Mali, the Niger River reaches the great trading port of Mopti, where it turns north. Then, through hundreds of miles, the river turns gradually back to the east as it passes Timbuktu, until it is flowing southeastward past Gao. This great turn in the river, which continues t... | Introduction | The Niger River | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 14,779 | 685 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_25 | ## Historical Resources
The West Africans who laid the foundations of their medieval empires during the centuries before 900 c.e. had not developed written language they could use to record historical events. Therefore, historians have a limited amount of evidence to draw on, and many of the events and dates in histor... | Historical Resources
The West Africans who laid the foundations of their medieval empires during the centuries before 900 c.e. had not developed written language they could use to record historical events. Therefore, historians have a limited amount of evidence to draw on, and many of the events and dates in history f... | Introduction | Historical Resources | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 15,464 | 501 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_26 | ## HUMPED CATTLE
Before 5500 B.C.E. there were no cattle of any kind south of the Sahara, but by 2000 B.C.E. cattle, sheep, and probably goats had been introduced. The cattle herding peoples of the Western Sudan raise a breed of cattle called zebu that have a hump between their shoulders. Zebu cattle are used primaril... | HUMPED CATTLE
Before 5500 B.C.E. there were no cattle of any kind south of the Sahara, but by 2000 B.C.E. cattle, sheep, and probably goats had been introduced. The cattle herding peoples of the Western Sudan raise a breed of cattle called zebu that have a hump between their shoulders. Zebu cattle are used primarily f... | Introduction | HUMPED CATTLE | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 15,965 | 719 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_27 | # Age Grade Societies
Dates are important chronological markers for historians, so they try to mention people's birth and death dates whenever possible. This can be a problem in sub-Saharan African history, though, because many of the cultures, including the Mande, Songhay, and their neighbors, are not interested in p... | Age Grade Societies
Dates are important chronological markers for historians, so they try to mention people's birth and death dates whenever possible. This can be a problem in sub-Saharan African history, though, because many of the cultures, including the Mande, Songhay, and their neighbors, are not interested in peo... | Age Grade Societies | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 16,684 | 860 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_28 | The most important ritual for young people is circumcision, which officially marks the change from childhood to young adulthood. In early times this took place during puberty, but nowadays in the Western Sudan it tends to be done a few years earlier. In the societies described in this book, newly circumcised children g... | The most important ritual for young people is circumcision, which officially marks the change from childhood to young adulthood. In early times this took place during puberty, but nowadays in the Western Sudan it tends to be done a few years earlier. In the societies described in this book, newly circumcised children g... | Age Grade Societies | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 17,544 | 695 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_29 | One of the main purposes of age grades is to provide social solidarity beyond the lines of kinship. This is why, when a Mande person who is away from home meets another Mande, she or he will introduce a fellow villager as brother or sister. Another purpose of age grades is that they facilitate the mobilization of labor... | One of the main purposes of age grades is to provide social solidarity beyond the lines of kinship. This is why, when a Mande person who is away from home meets another Mande, she or he will introduce a fellow villager as brother or sister. Another purpose of age grades is that they facilitate the mobilization of labor... | Age Grade Societies | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 18,239 | 725 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_30 | weather patterns and environmental changes. Linguists who specialize in Arabic and Berber early scripts decipher inscriptions on tombstones dating from as early as 1013 C.E. Specialists in the Arabic language examine the writings of geographers who lived in Spain and North Africa and began writing in the ninth century ... | weather patterns and environmental changes. Linguists who specialize in Arabic and Berber early scripts decipher inscriptions on tombstones dating from as early as 1013 C.E. Specialists in the Arabic language examine the writings of geographers who lived in Spain and North Africa and began writing in the ninth century ... | Age Grade Societies | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 18,964 | 902 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_31 | The first people to write about ancient Ghana were Arab geographers who lived in North Africa and Spain. These are the most extensive records to have survived to the present day. By the eighth century they were aware that the kingdom of Ghana existed below the Sahara. They had also heard there was a great river in the ... | The first people to write about ancient Ghana were Arab geographers who lived in North Africa and Spain. These are the most extensive records to have survived to the present day. By the eighth century they were aware that the kingdom of Ghana existed below the Sahara. They had also heard there was a great river in the ... | Age Grade Societies | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 19,866 | 580 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_32 | What got the Arab geographers' attention in the first place were stories they heard from travelers, who told tales of fabulous wealth to be found in Ghana. Late in the eighth century C.E., Arab astronomer and scholar Ibrahim al-Fazari (d. c. 777) called Ghana "the land of gold" (as quoted by N. Levtzion and J.F.P. Hopk... | What got the Arab geographers' attention in the first place were stories they heard from travelers, who told tales of fabulous wealth to be found in Ghana. Late in the eighth century C.E., Arab astronomer and scholar Ibrahim al-Fazari (d. c. 777) called Ghana "the land of gold" (as quoted by N. Levtzion and J.F.P. Hopk... | Age Grade Societies | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 20,446 | 742 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_33 | ## Three Great Medieval States
The empire of the Soninke people of Ghana was just one of three great West African empires of the medieval period that were described by Arab travelers and geographers. An empire is formed when one kingdom becomes more powerful than its neighbors. The more powerful king forms an empire b... | Three Great Medieval States
The empire of the Soninke people of Ghana was just one of three great West African empires of the medieval period that were described by Arab travelers and geographers. An empire is formed when one kingdom becomes more powerful than its neighbors. The more powerful king forms an empire by c... | Age Grade Societies | Three Great Medieval States | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 21,188 | 959 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_34 | challenged for control of the southern trade routes. Awdaghust, Ghana's most important commercial city, was captured by the Almoravids, an Islamic religious movement of the Sanhaja peoples. The Almoravids had consolidated the nomadic desert clans to form their own empire in the Western Sahara. Ghana recovered its power... | challenged for control of the southern trade routes. Awdaghust, Ghana's most important commercial city, was captured by the Almoravids, an Islamic religious movement of the Sanhaja peoples. The Almoravids had consolidated the nomadic desert clans to form their own empire in the Western Sahara. Ghana recovered its power... | Age Grade Societies | Three Great Medieval States | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 22,147 | 678 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_35 | Mali, second of the great empires of the Western Sudan, was founded in the first half of the 13th century. Far to the south of ancient Ghana, an extensive cluster of Mande chiefdoms had been in existence for a long time. The Mande people are culturally related to the Soninke of Ghana, but up to this time they had never... | Mali, second of the great empires of the Western Sudan, was founded in the first half of the 13th century. Far to the south of ancient Ghana, an extensive cluster of Mande chiefdoms had been in existence for a long time. The Mande people are culturally related to the Soninke of Ghana, but up to this time they had never... | Age Grade Societies | Three Great Medieval States | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 22,825 | 930 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_36 | Songhay, the third of the medieval West African empires, began as a trading town called Gao on the eastern side of the Niger Bend. Gao, which the Arab geographers called Gawgaw, had its beginnings about the same time that Ghana was getting started, some time after 500. Gao eventually developed into a kingdom controlled... | Songhay, the third of the medieval West African empires, began as a trading town called Gao on the eastern side of the Niger Bend. Gao, which the Arab geographers called Gawgaw, had its beginnings about the same time that Ghana was getting started, some time after 500. Gao eventually developed into a kingdom controlled... | Age Grade Societies | Three Great Medieval States | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 23,755 | 345 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_37 | ## Rites of Passage
These boys in modern-day Ghana have just taken part in a centuries-old circumcision ceremony that marks their passage into adulthood.
INTRODUCTION
who have some cultural similarities to the Mande peoples of Ghana and Mali but speak a different language. In the early 14th... | Rites of Passage
These boys in modern-day Ghana have just taken part in a centuries-old circumcision ceremony that marks their passage into adulthood.
INTRODUCTION
who have some cultural similarities to the Mande peoples of Ghana and Mali but speak a different language. In the early 14th century Gao was conquered by... | Age Grade Societies | Rites of Passage | [
"img_ref_6"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 24,100 | 936 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_38 | # Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires
The great number and diversity of cultures in Africa is consistent with the vast geographical size of the continent (it is more than three times the size of the United States). The indigenous inhabitants of Africa include more than 1,000 different ethnic groups, ... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires
The great number and diversity of cultures in Africa is consistent with the vast geographical size of the continent (it is more than three times the size of the United States). The indigenous inhabitants of Africa include more than 1,000 different ethnic groups, ea... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 25,036 | 642 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_39 | The dominant peoples of both the Ghana and Mali Empires (and their modern-day descendants) were part of a huge cultural complex whose people are collectively known as Mande. The Mande peoples who speak dialects of the Mande language and share ancient customs include the Bamana and Malinke (Mali nké means "people of Mal... | The dominant peoples of both the Ghana and Mali Empires (and their modern-day descendants) were part of a huge cultural complex whose people are collectively known as Mande. The Mande peoples who speak dialects of the Mande language and share ancient customs include the Bamana and Malinke (Mali nké means "people of Mal... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 25,678 | 828 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_40 | In addition to those groups already mentioned, many other cultures and ethnic groups lived in the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires, and were the subjects of their kings. We cannot be certain that the cultural
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
| In addition to those groups already mentioned, many other cultures and ethnic groups lived in the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires, and were the subjects of their kings. We cannot be certain that the cultural
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 26,506 | 243 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_41 | ## WHAT IS A TRIBE?
Many people, including some anthropologists and other social scientists, describe African and other non-Western ethnic groups around the world (including native peoples of North and South America) as tribes. They use this word because it is concise and convenient, but some people find it offensive.... | WHAT IS A TRIBE?
Many people, including some anthropologists and other social scientists, describe African and other non-Western ethnic groups around the world (including native peoples of North and South America) as tribes. They use this word because it is concise and convenient, but some people find it offensive. Th... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | WHAT IS A TRIBE? | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 26,749 | 884 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_42 | The dominant people of the Mali Empire can be referred to collectively as Mande, because the ancestors of several Mande groups, including the Bamana, Maninka, Mandinka, and Dyula, were part of that state. The dominant people of the Songhay Empire who, like their state were known as Songhay, spoke the Songhay language, ... | The dominant people of the Mali Empire can be referred to collectively as Mande, because the ancestors of several Mande groups, including the Bamana, Maninka, Mandinka, and Dyula, were part of that state. The dominant people of the Songhay Empire who, like their state were known as Songhay, spoke the Songhay language, ... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | WHAT IS A TRIBE? | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 27,633 | 358 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_43 | In the Ghana Empire, apart from the dominant Soninke people, an important culture was that of the Sanhaja, who originated from the Berber peoples of North Africa. The Sanhaja spoke a Berber dialect and were desert people who, like their North African relatives, subdivided themselves into large clans. In the Western Sah... | In the Ghana Empire, apart from the dominant Soninke people, an important culture was that of the Sanhaja, who originated from the Berber peoples of North Africa. The Sanhaja spoke a Berber dialect and were desert people who, like their North African relatives, subdivided themselves into large clans. In the Western Sah... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | WHAT IS A TRIBE? | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 27,991 | 703 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_44 | When the Ghana Empire lost its power, its territories (and the Soninke, Sanhaja, and other ethnic groups of the former state) were eventually taken over by the Mali Empire. Inhabitants of Mali also included the desert Tuareg, who are a Berber people like the Sanhaja. As the Mali Empire expanded, it also included the So... | When the Ghana Empire lost its power, its territories (and the Soninke, Sanhaja, and other ethnic groups of the former state) were eventually taken over by the Mali Empire. Inhabitants of Mali also included the desert Tuareg, who are a Berber people like the Sanhaja. As the Mali Empire expanded, it also included the So... | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | WHAT IS A TRIBE? | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 28,694 | 819 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_45 | With the decline of the Mali Empire and the rise of the Songhay Empire, the populations of a large part of the former Mali Empire became subjects of the Songhay rulers. Songhay also included many culture groups who had lived east of Mali and whose descendants now live in modern Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger.
# PART I... | With the decline of the Mali Empire and the rise of the Songhay Empire, the populations of a large part of the former Mali Empire became subjects of the Songhay rulers. Songhay also included many culture groups who had lived east of Mali and whose descendants now live in modern Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger.
PART I | Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires | WHAT IS A TRIBE? | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 29,513 | 322 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_46 | # HISTORY
The Ghana Empire
The Mali Empire
The Songhay Empire
CHAPTER 1
| HISTORY
The Ghana Empire
The Mali Empire
The Songhay Empire
CHAPTER 1 | HISTORY | [
"img_ref_7"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 29,835 | 103 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_47 | # The Ghana Empire
THE LAND OF GHANA LAY FAR INLAND FROM THE ATLANTIC Coast of West Africa, and about 100 miles north of the Niger River in the grasslands of the Sahel. One of the earliest of the medieval kingdoms of that region, the Ghana Empire came into existence some time after 500 C.E. and lasted until late in th... | The Ghana Empire
THE LAND OF GHANA LAY FAR INLAND FROM THE ATLANTIC Coast of West Africa, and about 100 miles north of the Niger River in the grasslands of the Sahel. One of the earliest of the medieval kingdoms of that region, the Ghana Empire came into existence some time after 500 C.E. and lasted until late in the ... | The Ghana Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 29,938 | 578 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_48 | The principal people of ancient Ghana were the Soninke. Some ancestors of the Soninke of Ghana (or Wagadu, as it is known to local people) were probably among the Stone Age farmers who began cultivating sorghum and millet in the Sahel grasslands from 3000 to 1000 B.C.E. By about 1000 B.C.E. the Soninke ancestors began ... | The principal people of ancient Ghana were the Soninke. Some ancestors of the Soninke of Ghana (or Wagadu, as it is known to local people) were probably among the Stone Age farmers who began cultivating sorghum and millet in the Sahel grasslands from 3000 to 1000 B.C.E. By about 1000 B.C.E. the Soninke ancestors began ... | The Ghana Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 30,516 | 581 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_49 | As the most northern of the Mande peoples, the Soninke were also in contact with the nomads of the Sahara, from whom they acquired small horses brought from North Africa. The early Soninke's superior iron weaponry and horses made it possible for them to establish a kingdom. They gradually expanded their territories and... | As the most northern of the Mande peoples, the Soninke were also in contact with the nomads of the Sahara, from whom they acquired small horses brought from North Africa. The early Soninke's superior iron weaponry and horses made it possible for them to establish a kingdom. They gradually expanded their territories and... | The Ghana Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 31,097 | 586 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_50 | ### Lords of the Sahara
The Berber people known as Sanhaja competed with the Soninke of ancient Ghana for control of the desert trade routes and market cities.
17
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
| Lords of the Sahara
The Berber people known as Sanhaja competed with the Soninke of ancient Ghana for control of the desert trade routes and market cities.
17
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA | The Ghana Empire | OPPOSITE | Lords of the Sahara | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 31,683 | 199 | |
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_51 | # The Legend of Wagadu
Along with other peoples of sub-Saharan West Africa, the Soninke have their own ideas of what is important about the distant past. They prefer to emphasize things such as family rivalries, the heroic deeds of their ancestors, and their ancestors' relationship with the spirit world. The Soninke p... | The Legend of Wagadu
Along with other peoples of sub-Saharan West Africa, the Soninke have their own ideas of what is important about the distant past. They prefer to emphasize things such as family rivalries, the heroic deeds of their ancestors, and their ancestors' relationship with the spirit world. The Soninke peo... | The Legend of Wagadu | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 31,882 | 1,024 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_52 | Dinga's movements from place to place are the storytellers' way of explaining the presence of Soninke populations in various parts of the Sahel. He is said to have eventually arrived at a place southwest of Nioro in today's Mali. When he arrived there, it was dominated by genies, or spirits of the bush. Various version... | Dinga's movements from place to place are the storytellers' way of explaining the presence of Soninke populations in various parts of the Sahel. He is said to have eventually arrived at a place southwest of Nioro in today's Mali. When he arrived there, it was dominated by genies, or spirits of the bush. Various version... | The Legend of Wagadu | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 32,906 | 649 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_53 | In the next episode in the legend, Dinga has grown old and blind. He has decided that before he dies he wants to pass his chiefly power on to his oldest son, Khiné. But a younger son named Diabe Cissé disguised himself as the oldest brother and deceived his father into bequeathing him the chiefly powers. According to o... | In the next episode in the legend, Dinga has grown old and blind. He has decided that before he dies he wants to pass his chiefly power on to his oldest son, Khiné. But a younger son named Diabe Cissé disguised himself as the oldest brother and deceived his father into bequeathing him the chiefly powers. According to o... | The Legend of Wagadu | [
"img_ref_8"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 33,555 | 1,005 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_54 | ## The Empire of Ghana
Ghana, the first of the three successive West African empires of the medieval age, spread north and east from Sénégal River. Ghana reached its height in the early 11th century.
19
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
part of what is now Mauritania, just north of the border that it shares with Mali... | The Empire of Ghana
Ghana, the first of the three successive West African empires of the medieval age, spread north and east from Sénégal River. Ghana reached its height in the early 11th century.
19
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
part of what is now Mauritania, just north of the border that it shares with Mali. W... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Empire of Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 34,560 | 706 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_55 | Diabe Cissé entered into a pact with the snake Bida. They agreed that Diabe Cissé could settle there and that Bida would remain the guardian of the place, on the condition that every year the great serpent be given the most beautiful young virgin. In return for this annual sacrifice, Bida guaranteed that abundant rain ... | Diabe Cissé entered into a pact with the snake Bida. They agreed that Diabe Cissé could settle there and that Bida would remain the guardian of the place, on the condition that every year the great serpent be given the most beautiful young virgin. In return for this annual sacrifice, Bida guaranteed that abundant rain ... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Empire of Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 35,266 | 941 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_56 | Once a year representatives of the four provinces of Wagadu would assemble at Kumbi Saleh to participate in the virgin sacrifice to Bida, the guardian serpent. This ceremony was the annual renewal of the pact between Diabe Cissé and Bida. According to some versions of the legend, each year a different province was requ... | Once a year representatives of the four provinces of Wagadu would assemble at Kumbi Saleh to participate in the virgin sacrifice to Bida, the guardian serpent. This ceremony was the annual renewal of the pact between Diabe Cissé and Bida. According to some versions of the legend, each year a different province was requ... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Empire of Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 36,207 | 466 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_57 | After an unspecified number of generations passed, a year arrived when the virgin to be sacrificed happened to be the girlfriend of a young man of noble birth. When the girl was about to be given to Bida, the young man leaped forward with his sword and cut off the snake's head. As Bida's severed head went bounding into... | After an unspecified number of generations passed, a year arrived when the virgin to be sacrificed happened to be the girlfriend of a young man of noble birth. When the girl was about to be given to Bida, the young man leaped forward with his sword and cut off the snake's head. As Bida's severed head went bounding into... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Empire of Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 36,673 | 889 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_58 | the snake killer was a complete villain who had destroyed the security and well-being of the entire community. Testifying to the supreme importance of the guardian serpent is the fact that in some versions of the legend, the great snake Bida was included in the royal genealogy and claimed as an ancestral relative. Smal... | the snake killer was a complete villain who had destroyed the security and well-being of the entire community. Testifying to the supreme importance of the guardian serpent is the fact that in some versions of the legend, the great snake Bida was included in the royal genealogy and claimed as an ancestral relative. Smal... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Empire of Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 37,562 | 706 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_59 | ## Is There History in the Legend?
The Wagadu legend's mythical elements are obvious, but parts of it reflect both social and environmental realities that could have actually been a part of Soninke history. The kind of competition seen between the younger brother, Diabe Cissé, and his older brother, Khiné, is known to... | Is There History in the Legend?
The Wagadu legend's mythical elements are obvious, but parts of it reflect both social and environmental realities that could have actually been a part of Soninke history. The kind of competition seen between the younger brother, Diabe Cissé, and his older brother, Khiné, is known to ha... | The Legend of Wagadu | Is There History in the Legend? | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 38,268 | 553 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_60 | ## The Giant Rock Python
The giant African rock python is a non-venomous, constricting snake with a triangular head and a thick body, colored with shades of brown, yellow, and green, that can grow to more than 20 feet long. Pythons live around rivers and swamps.
| The Giant Rock Python
The giant African rock python is a non-venomous, constricting snake with a triangular head and a thick body, colored with shades of brown, yellow, and green, that can grow to more than 20 feet long. Pythons live around rivers and swamps. | The Legend of Wagadu | The Giant Rock Python | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 38,821 | 265 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_61 | The African rock python normally eats birds and small mammals, but in 2002 near Durban, South Africa, a 20-foot long specimen swallowed a 10-year-old boy. According to local newspapers, the boy was picking mangoes when the python suddenly wrapped its coils around him, pinning his arms to his sides and squeezing him to ... | The African rock python normally eats birds and small mammals, but in 2002 near Durban, South Africa, a 20-foot long specimen swallowed a 10-year-old boy. According to local newspapers, the boy was picking mangoes when the python suddenly wrapped its coils around him, pinning his arms to his sides and squeezing him to ... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Giant Rock Python | [
"img_ref_9"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 39,086 | 964 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_62 | The offer made by the snake-killer's mother to provide for the refugees from Wagadu is also of interest, because, as we will see later, it corresponds to what one Arab geographer said about matrilineal descent (power passed to the son of the king's sister) in those early times, and there might even have been instances ... | The offer made by the snake-killer's mother to provide for the refugees from Wagadu is also of interest, because, as we will see later, it corresponds to what one Arab geographer said about matrilineal descent (power passed to the son of the king's sister) in those early times, and there might even have been instances ... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Giant Rock Python | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 40,050 | 933 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_63 | ## The Land of Gold
For the early Arab geographers who wrote about Ghana, it was a tantalizing land of mystery and fabled wealth and that became the essence of Ghana's reputation in the Muslim world. Some Arab writers had fantastic ideas about gold just lying around, waiting to be picked up and carried home. Classical... | The Land of Gold
For the early Arab geographers who wrote about Ghana, it was a tantalizing land of mystery and fabled wealth and that became the essence of Ghana's reputation in the Muslim world. Some Arab writers had fantastic ideas about gold just lying around, waiting to be picked up and carried home. Classical wr... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Land of Gold | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 40,983 | 967 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_64 | We know such tales continued for a long time, because in the 14th century, Syrian historian and geographer al-Umari (1301–1349) was still describing two kinds of plants that had roots of gold.
| We know such tales continued for a long time, because in the 14th century, Syrian historian and geographer al-Umari (1301–1349) was still describing two kinds of plants that had roots of gold. | The Legend of Wagadu | The Land of Gold | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 41,950 | 194 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_65 | Atlantic coast. Thus, it is not difficult to see how the idea of the great snake as a highly spiritual water oracle could develop.
As for the material prosperity symbolically linked with the great snake Bida, there is a real connection between rainfall and gold production. In ancient times when the climate supported c... | Atlantic coast. Thus, it is not difficult to see how the idea of the great snake as a highly spiritual water oracle could develop.
As for the material prosperity symbolically linked with the great snake Bida, there is a real connection between rainfall and gold production. In ancient times when the climate supported c... | The Legend of Wagadu | The Land of Gold | [
"img_ref_10"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 42,144 | 947 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_66 | from drought provides a possible environmental explanation for the gradual destruction of the ancient kingdom of Wagadu, which is said to have been complete by the early 13th century.
| from drought provides a possible environmental explanation for the gradual destruction of the ancient kingdom of Wagadu, which is said to have been complete by the early 13th century. | The Legend of Wagadu | The Land of Gold | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 43,091 | 185 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_67 | ## Regional and Trans-Saharan Trade
In 738 a governor of the Maghrib sent a trading expedition to the "the land of the blacks"—Sudan. The expedition returned successfully, laden with slaves and gold. The trade seems to have originated not with the Arabs, but with the Berber peoples of the desert. The most powerful of ... | Regional and Trans-Saharan Trade
In 738 a governor of the Maghrib sent a trading expedition to the "the land of the blacks"—Sudan. The expedition returned successfully, laden with slaves and gold. The trade seems to have originated not with the Arabs, but with the Berber peoples of the desert. The most powerful of the... | The Legend of Wagadu | Regional and Trans-Saharan Trade | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 43,276 | 951 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_68 | ## Freight Train
Camel caravans continue to be an important part of trade and travel in West Africa. Camels are known as the "ships of the desert" because they can carry heavy loads over long distances with little or no water.
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
| Freight Train
Camel caravans continue to be an important part of trade and travel in West Africa. Camels are known as the "ships of the desert" because they can carry heavy loads over long distances with little or no water.
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA | The Legend of Wagadu | Freight Train | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 44,227 | 262 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_69 | We have already seen that efficient food production, early control of iron technology for superior weaponry, and the acquisition of horses helped the Soninke achieve early superiority over their neighbors. Al-Ya'qubi described Ghana as one of the two most powerful kingdoms of the Western Sudan, with a ruler who had oth... | We have already seen that efficient food production, early control of iron technology for superior weaponry, and the acquisition of horses helped the Soninke achieve early superiority over their neighbors. Al-Ya'qubi described Ghana as one of the two most powerful kingdoms of the Western Sudan, with a ruler who had oth... | The Legend of Wagadu | Freight Train | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 44,489 | 1,008 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_70 | On a broader scale, Ghana was well positioned to dominate the international caravan trade across the Western Sahara and on to the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea. One of the most important reasons for that commercial development had been the introduction of the camel into North Africa. The camel is often referred... | On a broader scale, Ghana was well positioned to dominate the international caravan trade across the Western Sahara and on to the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea. One of the most important reasons for that commercial development had been the introduction of the camel into North Africa. The camel is often referred... | The Legend of Wagadu | Freight Train | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 45,497 | 910 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_71 | In the second and third centuries C.E. the use of camels quickly expanded among North African Berber peoples. The Sanhaja of the western Sahara acquired significant numbers of camels by the fourth and fifth centuries, and began to develop and control increasingly busy desert trade routes. The trans-Saharan caravans cou... | In the second and third centuries C.E. the use of camels quickly expanded among North African Berber peoples. The Sanhaja of the western Sahara acquired significant numbers of camels by the fourth and fifth centuries, and began to develop and control increasingly busy desert trade routes. The trans-Saharan caravans cou... | The Legend of Wagadu | Freight Train | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 46,407 | 835 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_72 | ## Money Cowries
In sub-Saharan West Africa, cowries were the most popular currency for many centuries. These so-called "money cowries" are the shells of small snail-like creatures that live in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
| Money Cowries
In sub-Saharan West Africa, cowries were the most popular currency for many centuries. These so-called "money cowries" are the shells of small snail-like creatures that live in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. | CONNECTIONS | Money Cowries | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 47,242 | 250 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_73 | As early as the 13th century, Arab traders were carrying cowries from the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean to Egypt, then across the desert to the markets of sub-Saharan West Africa. Europeans were interested to find that in commercial transactions, Africans tended to prefer cowries to gold, and by the 16th century ... | As early as the 13th century, Arab traders were carrying cowries from the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean to Egypt, then across the desert to the markets of sub-Saharan West Africa. Europeans were interested to find that in commercial transactions, Africans tended to prefer cowries to gold, and by the 16th century ... | CONNECTIONS | Money Cowries | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 47,492 | 816 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_74 | In 2003, evidence of their use in the slave trade was found in Yorktown, an important 18th-century Virginia port. On property once owned by a slave trader named Phillip Lightfoot, archaeologists found hundreds of cowries in a trash dump dating to about 1760. Also in Virginia, a single cowrie was found at Monticello, th... | In 2003, evidence of their use in the slave trade was found in Yorktown, an important 18th-century Virginia port. On property once owned by a slave trader named Phillip Lightfoot, archaeologists found hundreds of cowries in a trash dump dating to about 1760. Also in Virginia, a single cowrie was found at Monticello, th... | CONNECTIONS | Money Cowries | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 48,308 | 699 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_75 | In West Africa, cowries are still used for many things, including decorating clothing, drums, and headdresses, and on ritual sculptures such as masks and statuettes. They are also used to foretell the future: Diviners cast handfuls of them to make predictions that are based on whether the shells land with the open side... | In West Africa, cowries are still used for many things, including decorating clothing, drums, and headdresses, and on ritual sculptures such as masks and statuettes. They are also used to foretell the future: Diviners cast handfuls of them to make predictions that are based on whether the shells land with the open side... | CONNECTIONS | Money Cowries | [
"img_ref_11"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 49,007 | 430 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_76 | Ghana's advantageous location in the Sahel enabled the Soninke to function as middlemen, controlling commerce from the savanna and forest zones in the south, and the Sahara and Maghrib (northwest Africa) in the north. The northward trade passed over a network of routes connecting Ghana not only with the Maghrib, but al... | Ghana's advantageous location in the Sahel enabled the Soninke to function as middlemen, controlling commerce from the savanna and forest zones in the south, and the Sahara and Maghrib (northwest Africa) in the north. The northward trade passed over a network of routes connecting Ghana not only with the Maghrib, but al... | CONNECTIONS | Money Cowries | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 49,437 | 827 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_77 | The trans-Saharan trade southward dealt in manufactured objects and various luxury goods from the Mediterranean world, Europe, and North Africa. They included iron products such as knives, scissors, needles, and razors, brass and copperware, luxury garments of silk, velvet and brocade, glass and porcelain beads, other ... | The trans-Saharan trade southward dealt in manufactured objects and various luxury goods from the Mediterranean world, Europe, and North Africa. They included iron products such as knives, scissors, needles, and razors, brass and copperware, luxury garments of silk, velvet and brocade, glass and porcelain beads, other ... | CONNECTIONS | Money Cowries | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 50,264 | 922 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_78 | ## The City of Awdaghust
During the period of Ghana's greatest power in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, one of the most important commercial cities under its control was Awdaghust, about 125 miles northwest of Kumbi Saleh. Abu Ubayd al-Bakri (d. 1094), an Arab scholar living in Islamic Spain, described it as a... | The City of Awdaghust
During the period of Ghana's greatest power in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, one of the most important commercial cities under its control was Awdaghust, about 125 miles northwest of Kumbi Saleh. Abu Ubayd al-Bakri (d. 1094), an Arab scholar living in Islamic Spain, described it as a la... | CONNECTIONS | The City of Awdaghust | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 51,186 | 876 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_79 | Awdaghust sat astride a trade route for gold shipped northward to the city of Sijilmasa in southern Morocco, where it was minted into coins. The overland caravan journey between Awdaghust and Sijilmasa took two months. The Arab geographer Ibn Hawqal visited Sijilmasa in 951 and reported witnessing a steady volume of tr... | Awdaghust sat astride a trade route for gold shipped northward to the city of Sijilmasa in southern Morocco, where it was minted into coins. The overland caravan journey between Awdaghust and Sijilmasa took two months. The Arab geographer Ibn Hawqal visited Sijilmasa in 951 and reported witnessing a steady volume of tr... | CONNECTIONS | The City of Awdaghust | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 52,062 | 458 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_80 | The main traders of Awdaghust were Berbers of the Zanata clan from the Atlas mountain region in Morocco. In the 10th century, city-dwelling Zanata traders began to dominate trans-Saharan commerce between Awdaghust in the south and Sijilmasa in the north. But it was the Sanhaja nomads of the desert who really held power... | The main traders of Awdaghust were Berbers of the Zanata clan from the Atlas mountain region in Morocco. In the 10th century, city-dwelling Zanata traders began to dominate trans-Saharan commerce between Awdaghust in the south and Sijilmasa in the north. But it was the Sanhaja nomads of the desert who really held power... | CONNECTIONS | The City of Awdaghust | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 52,520 | 914 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_81 | The Sanhaja were also the real power in control of trade revenues in Awadaghust. But they lost that revenue around the middle of the 11th century when the Soninke of Ghana took control of Awdaghust. The Zanata traders of the city accepted their authority, which caused the Sanhaja people of the desert to lose an importa... | The Sanhaja were also the real power in control of trade revenues in Awadaghust. But they lost that revenue around the middle of the 11th century when the Soninke of Ghana took control of Awdaghust. The Zanata traders of the city accepted their authority, which caused the Sanhaja people of the desert to lose an importa... | CONNECTIONS | The City of Awdaghust | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 53,434 | 769 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_82 | ## The Almoravids
Some time during the eighth century, the Zanata and other Berbers of the Atlas region became Muslims, and later the Sanhaja were also converted to Islam. The religious conversion gave them all wider commercial connections, increased the scale and complexity of their trade, and generally enhanced thei... | The Almoravids
Some time during the eighth century, the Zanata and other Berbers of the Atlas region became Muslims, and later the Sanhaja were also converted to Islam. The religious conversion gave them all wider commercial connections, increased the scale and complexity of their trade, and generally enhanced their p... | CONNECTIONS | The Almoravids | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 54,203 | 481 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_83 | # Muhammad and the Islamic Empire
Islam was founded by Muhammad (c. 570–632), who was born in the Arabian city of Mecca. His name means “worthy of praise” in Arabic. After the age of eight, Muhammad began accompanying his uncle on long caravans, and when he was 25 he married a wealthy 40-year-old widow named Khadijah ... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire
Islam was founded by Muhammad (c. 570–632), who was born in the Arabian city of Mecca. His name means “worthy of praise” in Arabic. After the age of eight, Muhammad began accompanying his uncle on long caravans, and when he was 25 he married a wealthy 40-year-old widow named Khadijah (d... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 54,684 | 637 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_84 | Eventually, making a pilgrimage to Mecca became a religious obligation for all Muslims. But Mecca was already an ancient center of pilgrimage long before Islam because it was the location of the Kaaba, a one-room structure made of dark stone that was home to the sacred Black Stone. This stone, embedded in one of the wa... | Eventually, making a pilgrimage to Mecca became a religious obligation for all Muslims. But Mecca was already an ancient center of pilgrimage long before Islam because it was the location of the Kaaba, a one-room structure made of dark stone that was home to the sacred Black Stone. This stone, embedded in one of the wa... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 55,321 | 1,004 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_85 | called the Almoravid movement, which had a great influence on the spread of Islam, itself a major factor in West African history.
At the beginning of the 10th century the Sanhaja were masters of the Western Sahara, but they were spread over a vast territory and were divided into sub-groups or clans. They lived in vari... | called the Almoravid movement, which had a great influence on the spread of Islam, itself a major factor in West African history.
At the beginning of the 10th century the Sanhaja were masters of the Western Sahara, but they were spread over a vast territory and were divided into sub-groups or clans. They lived in vari... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 56,325 | 948 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_86 | people back in the Western Sahara had only a rudimentary idea of what Islam was about, and were not behaving like the devout Muslims in Arabia and North Africa. On his way home, Yahya visited with a learned Muslim theologian in the city of Qayrawan and asked if he had a learned disciple who would accompany him back to ... | people back in the Western Sahara had only a rudimentary idea of what Islam was about, and were not behaving like the devout Muslims in Arabia and North Africa. On his way home, Yahya visited with a learned Muslim theologian in the city of Qayrawan and asked if he had a learned disciple who would accompany him back to ... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 57,273 | 651 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_87 | In 1039 Yahya arrived back at the tents of his Juddala people, accompanied by Yasin. As a teacher of Islam, Yasin proved to be a stern disciplinarian, determined to convert everyone even if he had to do so at the point of a sword. At one point, along with Yahya, he led the Juddala to attack a branch of the Lamtuna and ... | In 1039 Yahya arrived back at the tents of his Juddala people, accompanied by Yasin. As a teacher of Islam, Yasin proved to be a stern disciplinarian, determined to convert everyone even if he had to do so at the point of a sword. At one point, along with Yahya, he led the Juddala to attack a branch of the Lamtuna and ... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 57,924 | 659 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_88 | Yasin fled with some devoted followers and went into hidden retreat at a kind of fortified monastery called a ribat. In 1042-43, three or four years after going into hiding, Yasin emerged from the ribat as supreme leader of a powerful new religious movement. His followers were called the Almoravids, from the Arabic wor... | Yasin fled with some devoted followers and went into hidden retreat at a kind of fortified monastery called a ribat. In 1042-43, three or four years after going into hiding, Yasin emerged from the ribat as supreme leader of a powerful new religious movement. His followers were called the Almoravids, from the Arabic wor... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 58,583 | 510 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_89 | The essential concern of the Almoravids was with the strict observance of the discipline of Islam. They wanted all the rules to be followed: prayer and fasting, abstention from alcohol and forbidden foods, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and learning the Quran. They were prepared to promote these things by force throug... | The essential concern of the Almoravids was with the strict observance of the discipline of Islam. They wanted all the rules to be followed: prayer and fasting, abstention from alcohol and forbidden foods, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and learning the Quran. They were prepared to promote these things by force throug... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 59,093 | 952 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_90 | People of the Veil
Sanhaja nomads ritually covered their faces at all times, a practice they continue today, as shown in this 2001 photo from Mali.
the Almoravids had become the most powerful force in the Western Sahara, but still had many battles ahead of them. In 1054 they recaptured Awda... | People of the Veil
Sanhaja nomads ritually covered their faces at all times, a practice they continue today, as shown in this 2001 photo from Mali.
the Almoravids had become the most powerful force in the Western Sahara, but still had many battles ahead of them. In 1054 they recaptured Awdaghust from the Soninke of Gh... | Muhammad and the Islamic Empire | [
"img_ref_12"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 60,045 | 1,000 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_91 | # The Almoravid Impact on Ghana
In 1056, when the Almoravids captured Awdaghust from Ghana, the Zanata merchants there were punished for having cooperated with the Soninke. Because of the powerful Almoravid influence, in the following
THE GHANA EMPIRE
years many Soninke of Ghana, who had retained their traditional r... | The Almoravid Impact on Ghana
In 1056, when the Almoravids captured Awdaghust from Ghana, the Zanata merchants there were punished for having cooperated with the Soninke. Because of the powerful Almoravid influence, in the following
THE GHANA EMPIRE
years many Soninke of Ghana, who had retained their traditional rel... | The Almoravid Impact on Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 61,045 | 803 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_92 | The Arab geographer Al-Sharif al-Idrisi (1099–1166), writing in 1154 (quoted in N. Levtzion and J.F.P. Hopkins’s Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History), thought of “Ghana” as a single city, and described it as “the greatest of all the towns of the Sudan in respect of area, the most populous, and with ... | The Arab geographer Al-Sharif al-Idrisi (1099–1166), writing in 1154 (quoted in N. Levtzion and J.F.P. Hopkins’s Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History), thought of “Ghana” as a single city, and described it as “the greatest of all the towns of the Sudan in respect of area, the most populous, and with ... | The Almoravid Impact on Ghana | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 61,848 | 605 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_93 | In the 12th century Ghana gradually lost its dominant position in the Sahel. Climate change, generations of encroachment by the desert on formerly productive land, and decades of struggle with the powerful Sanhaja groups of the Western Sahara prompted many Soninke to move to more prosperous areas. The city of Walata, w... | In the 12th century Ghana gradually lost its dominant position in the Sahel. Climate change, generations of encroachment by the desert on formerly productive land, and decades of struggle with the powerful Sanhaja groups of the Western Sahara prompted many Soninke to move to more prosperous areas. The city of Walata, w... | The Almoravid Impact on Ghana | [
"img_ref_13"
] | 1 | true | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 62,453 | 878 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_94 | # The Mali Empire
WHILE THE GHANA EMPIRE WAS GRADUALLY DECLINING, the Soninke migrants participated in the founding of several smaller kingdoms. The small Soninke states of Kaniaga, Diara, and Mema rose to the south of Ghana in the more hospitable savanna lands closer to the Upper Niger River and its tributaries.
By ... | The Mali Empire
WHILE THE GHANA EMPIRE WAS GRADUALLY DECLINING, the Soninke migrants participated in the founding of several smaller kingdoms. The small Soninke states of Kaniaga, Diara, and Mema rose to the south of Ghana in the more hospitable savanna lands closer to the Upper Niger River and its tributaries.
By th... | The Mali Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 63,331 | 977 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_95 | Most of the information we have about the Soso kingdom comes from Mande oral tradition and cannot be confirmed by independent sources. The kingdom was centered in a region that is now called Beledougou, northeast of Bamako, the capital of today's Republic of Mali. The local people identify their communities with ancien... | Most of the information we have about the Soso kingdom comes from Mande oral tradition and cannot be confirmed by independent sources. The kingdom was centered in a region that is now called Beledougou, northeast of Bamako, the capital of today's Republic of Mali. The local people identify their communities with ancien... | The Mali Empire | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 64,308 | 746 | |||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_96 | ### The Lure of Gold
A Spanish map from 1375 includes this illustration of the emperor Mansa Musa holding up a nugget of the gold that drew so many traders to West Africa.
33
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
From them he learned that Soso was the most powerful of the new kingdoms, and that it had taken over the old ... | The Lure of Gold
A Spanish map from 1375 includes this illustration of the emperor Mansa Musa holding up a nugget of the gold that drew so many traders to West Africa.
33
EMPIRES OF MEDIEVAL WEST AFRICA
From them he learned that Soso was the most powerful of the new kingdoms, and that it had taken over the old terr... | The Mali Empire | OPPOSITE | The Lure of Gold | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 65,054 | 946 | |
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_97 | ## The Sunjata Epic
The Mande people's own story about the origin of the Mali Empire is usually known as The Sunjata Epic—named for Sunjata Keita, who is credited with founding the Mali Empire. The story begins some time around the beginning of the 13th century in Farakoro, a Mande chiefdom. Farakoro was near the gold... | The Sunjata Epic
The Mande people's own story about the origin of the Mali Empire is usually known as The Sunjata Epic—named for Sunjata Keita, who is credited with founding the Mali Empire. The story begins some time around the beginning of the 13th century in Farakoro, a Mande chiefdom. Farakoro was near the gold fi... | The Mali Empire | The Sunjata Epic | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 66,000 | 474 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_98 | The chief of Farakoro was Maghan Konfara (maghan means "chief" and Konfara was another name for his town). Like all chiefs and kings of his day, Maghan Konfara had diviners who would forecast the future. One day the diviners told Maghan Konfara that he would be the father of a great hero, but that the woman who would b... | The chief of Farakoro was Maghan Konfara (maghan means "chief" and Konfara was another name for his town). Like all chiefs and kings of his day, Maghan Konfara had diviners who would forecast the future. One day the diviners told Maghan Konfara that he would be the father of a great hero, but that the woman who would b... | The Mali Empire | The Sunjata Epic | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 66,474 | 763 | ||
david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf_chunk_99 | The co-wives were jealous of the diviners' prediction and did everything they could to stop Sogolon from giving birth to the hero. After several years of domestic trouble, the predicted birth took place, but the child was born crippled. He was called Sogolon's Jara, (jara means "lion"), which was shortened to Sunjata. ... | The co-wives were jealous of the diviners' prediction and did everything they could to stop Sogolon from giving birth to the hero. After several years of domestic trouble, the predicted birth took place, but the child was born crippled. He was called Sogolon's Jara, (jara means "lion"), which was shortened to Sunjata. ... | The Mali Empire | The Sunjata Epic | [] | 0 | false | david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf | 67,237 | 886 |
End of preview. Expand in Data Studio
EmpiresOfMedievalWestAfrica
Dataset created with PDF2Dataset -- OCR + structure-aware chunking pipeline.
Dataset Summary
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| Total chunks | 419 |
| Avg chars/chunk | 665 |
| Avg images/chunk | 0.10 |
| Source files | 1 |
| Duplicates removed | 0 |
| Quality filtered | 3 |
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david_c._conrad_empires_of_medieval_west_africabook4me.org_.pdf |
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Document Structure
Chapters found in the source documents:
- A Changeable King
- A Mix of Cultures
- A World Famous Arma
- Age Grade Societies
- Askiya Muhammad the Great
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- CONNECTIONS
- CONTENTS
- Epilogue
- Ethnic Groups of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empires
- HISTORY
- INDEX
- Introduction
- Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
- Making the Best of Life
- Mande Social Organization
- Mansa Musa the Great
- Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage
- Modern Mali
- Moroccan Firearms
- Muhammad and the Islamic Empire
- Other Influences
- RESOURCES: Books
- RESOURCES: Web Sites
- SOCIETY AND CULTURE
- SOME MALI BASICS
- Salt of the Sahara
- Secret Sites
- Sii Ali's Last Campaigns
- TIME LINE
- ... and 15 more
Pipeline
This dataset was processed through the PDF2Dataset pipeline:
- OCR -- Mistral OCR extracts text and images from PDF/image files
- Chunking -- Structure-aware recursive splitting preserves document hierarchy
- Validation -- Schema validation ensures every chunk has required fields
- Deduplication -- Content-hash based dedup removes identical chunks
- Quality Filtering -- Removes empty, too-short, or malformed chunks
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