Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200-1500 Flashcards
Who was Ibn Battuta?
A young Muslim scholar from Morocco who set out to explore the Islamic world
“Ibn Battuta (born February 24, 1304, Tangier, Morocco—died 1368/69 or 1377, Morocco) was the greatest medieval Muslim traveler and the author of one of the most famous travel books, the Riḥlah (Travels). His great work describes his extensive travels covering some 75,000 miles (120,000 km) in trips to almost all of the Muslim countries and as far as China and Sumatra (now part of Indonesia).” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ibn-Battuta
The people of the Tropics were diverse, but united by what?
Islam, the tropical environment, and a network of land and sea trade routes
What characterizes the Tropics, meteorologically?
Monsoons, rainfall, dense rainforests, etc. In the northern Africa arid zone, it barely rained, however.
There was an uneven distribution of rainfall in the Tropics, which led to what?
The building of dams, canals, and reservoirs to provide year-round water.
How did the people of the Tropics obtain food?
- Hunting, fishing, and gathering in central Africa, the upper Himalayas, and seacoasts
- Herding in arid areas
- Agriculture in most of Africa, S and SE Asia
What were some mineral resources in the Tropics? What were they used for?
Iron, copper, and gold. Copper and gold were important in long-distance trade, while iron was the most abundant and useful, used for hoes, knives, spears, needles, nails, swords, etc.
Africa exported large amounts of gold.
What plants and animals spread through trade during this period?
Bananas, yams, cocoyams, and coffee
- “The first bananas are thought to have grown in the region that includes the Malaya Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea.” https://abgc.org.au/our-industry-old/history-of-bananas/
- “Yams are a staple crop of West Africa, and have been grown there for 11,000 years. Anthropologists have dated grinding stones from Africa that may have been used to pound starchy yams back to over 100,000 years ago in the Middle Stone Age.” https://foodprint.org/real-food/yams/
- “Colocasia species may also be referred to as taro, old cocoyam, arrowroot, eddoe, macabo or dasheen and originates from Southeast or Central Asia.” https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/cocoyam/infos
- “No one knows exactly how or when coffee was discovered, though there are many legends about its origin. […] Coffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau.” https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/History-of-Coffee
What did the Mali Sundiata do?
Fought and established the Mali Empire in 1240
Who was Mansa Kankan Musa and what did he do?
He was a Mali ruler who made a pilgrimage to Mecca, which gave him an opportunity to show his wealth.
“One of the greatest caravans to ever cross the Sahara was led by Mansa Musa, the legendary ruler of the vast West African empire of Mali. In 1324 Musa embarked on a hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, traveling with an entourage that included 8,000 courtiers, 12,000 servants and 100 camel loads of pure gold.” https://magazine.northwestern.edu/features/caravans-of-gold-fragments-in-time/a-golden-age-king-mansa-musas-reign/
Who was Sultan Iltutmish and what did he do?
He established the Delhi Sultanate as a Muslim state (previously Hindu) and designated his daughter Raziya as heir. She had a short rule due to prejudice against a woman ruler.
Who was Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji and what did he do?
“Alauddin Khalji ([…] r. 1296–1316), born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in India, related to revenues, price controls, and society. He also successfully fended off several Mongol invasions of India.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alauddin_Khalji , unfortunately
He increased control over outlying provinces of the Delhi Sultanate and seized the rich trading state of Gujarat in 1298.
What happened in Delhi under Muhammad Ibn Tughluq?
Delhi underwent aggressive expansion and religious toleration, which his successor Firuz Shah reversed, alienating the Hindus by taxing Brahmins.
What threatened and weakened the Delhi Sultanate before the Mongol invasion of 1398?
Personal and religious rivalries within the Muslim elite and discontent of the Hindus.
The weakening of Delhi’s central authority did what?
Revived Mongol interests. Timur invaded and captured Delhi.
“Battle of Delhi, (17 December 1398). In 1398 the Mongol-Turkish warrior Timur, ruler of Central Asia from his capital at Samarkand, found a pretext to strike south into India. His victory over the sultan of Delhi confirmed the irresistible fighting qualities of his army and the awesome destructiveness that made him a legend of cruelty.
A devout Muslim, Timur alleged that his co-religionist Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud of Delhi was being too lenient toward his Hindu subjects. On this pretext he marched into the Indian subcontinent in late summer 1398, his tribal steppe horsemen plundering and massacring as they advanced. By the time Timur approached Delhi, his army was so encumbered with loot and captured slaves that military efficiency was imperiled.” https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Delhi-1398
Why is the Delhi Sultanate important in the development of centralized political authority in India?
- It established bureaucracy
- Efforts were made to improve food production, promote trade and economic growth, as well as establish a common currency
- Islam gradually acquired a permanent place in S. Asia
