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Empire of Ghana - Coggle Diagram
Empire of Ghana
Gold-Salt Trade
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Some sources estimate that until about 1350, at least two-thirds of the world’s supply of gold came from West Africa
Merchants met in trading cities, where they exchanged goods under the watchful eye of the king’s tax collector
In addition to taxing trade, royal officials made sure that all traders weighed goods fairly and did business according to law
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Islamic Influences
While Islam spread through North Africa by conquest, south of the Sahara, Islam spread through trade.
Muslim merchants and teachers settled in the states south of the Sahara and introduced their faith there.
By the end of the 11th century, Ghana’s rulers converted to Islams and Muslim advisers were helping the king run his kingdom.
Ghana’s African rulers accepted Islam, many people in the empire clung to their animistic beliefs and practices.
Animism is the belief that spirits living in animals, plants, and natural forces play an important role in daily life
Among the upper class, Islam’s growth encouraged the spread of literacy. To study the Qur’an, converts to Islam had to learn to read and write Arabic
In 1076, the Muslim Almoravids of North Africa completed their conquest of Ghana. Although the Almoravids eventually withdrew from Ghana, the war had badly disrupted the gold-salt trade
Ghana never regained its power, but it had helped Islam to gain a foothold in the region, and the West African–North African trade that Ghana developed would continue for centuries, although the trade routes would shift.
Land of Gold
By the year 800, Ghana had become an empire. Because Ghana’s king controlled trade and commanded a large army, he could demand taxes and gifts from the chiefs of surrounding lands.
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In his royal palace, the king stored gold nuggets and slabs of salt
Only the king had the right to own gold nuggets, although gold dust freely circulated in the marketplace. By this means, the king limited the supply of gold and kept its price from falling
Social Organization
At its height, the Empire of Ghana included many people groups, some of which had their own customs and language.
However, as Ghana’s rule strengthened and trade continued to connect peoples and communities, the empire’s cities, at least, began to develop similarities.
In all of Ghana, the king was considered the supreme ruler. An administrative class helped the king run the government.
Other segments that emerged in Ghana’s society included miners, agricultural laborers, metalworkers, and leather crafters
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