Ghana
What two valuable goods helped Ghana become wealthy?
Gold and Salt
Who founded the Mali Empire?
Sundiata
What precious metal was an important West African trade item?
Gold
What city became an important center of trade and learning in Mali?
Timbuktu
Which empire came first; Ghana or Mali?
Ghana
What was silent barter?
A system of trading goods without speaking directly to the other trader.
Who was Mali's famous wealthy Muslim ruler?
Mansa Musa
Why was salt valuable?
People needed it for health and preserving food
What religion spread into West Africa through contact with Muslim traders?
Islam.
Name one thing Ghana and Mali had in common.
Possible answers: gold and salt trade, powerful rulers, trade routes, taxation, or Islamic influence.
Name the Ghana ruler described as wealthy and powerful by Muslim writers.
Tunka Manin
What famous journey did Mansa Musa make?
A pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca.
How did Ghana's location help the empire?
It was located near important trade routes between North and West Africa.
What was the Sankore Madrasah known for?
Islamic education and scholarship/learning.
What changed in West Africa as Muslim traders interacted with West Africans?
Islam and Islamic ideas spread and became more influential.
How did Ghana's government earn income from trade?
It taxed goods and traders traveling through the empire.
Give two ways Mansa Musa's leadership influenced Mali.
Possible answers include promoting Islam, supporting education, building mosques, strengthening trade, and making Mali known outside West Africa.
Explain this chain:
Trade → Taxes → Wealth → ?
A stronger government/army/empire.
Why was Timbuktu important beyond trade?
It became an important center for education, religion, books, and scholarship.
What continued to be important from Ghana to Mali?
Trade, especially the gold and salt trade, remained important to the wealth and power of West African empires.
Put these in order:
Mansa Musa – Empire of Ghana – Sundiata
Empire of Ghana → Sundiata → Mansa Musa
Ghana and Mali did not become powerful by accident. Explain two factors that helped these empires become wealthy and powerful.
Ghana and Mali benefited from controlling important trade routes and the gold and salt trade. Their rulers could collect taxes from trade, which provided wealth to support strong governments and armies.