West Africa Flashcards
Griot
a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa.
Mali Empire
Mali, trading empire that flourished in western Africa from the 13th to the 16th century. The Mali empire developed from the state of Kangaba, on the upper Niger River east of the Fouta Djallon, and is said to have been founded before 1000 ce.
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its largest ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai people.
Ghana Empire
The Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadou, was a West African empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali that existed from c. 300 until c. 1100. The Empire was founded by the Soninke people, and was based in the capital city of Koumbi Saleh.
Berber
Berber, any of the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa. The Berbers live in scattered communities across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania. They speak various Amazigh languages belonging to the Afro-Asiatic family related to ancient Egyptian.
Mansa Musa
In 1312 Musa became emperor following the death of his predecessor, Abu-Bakr II. When he was crowned, he was given the name Mansa meaning king. Mansa Musa was knowledgeable in Arabic and was described as a Muslim traditionalist. He became the first Muslim ruler in West Africa to make the nearly four thousand mile journey to Mecca.
Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan explorer, scholar, theologian, adventurer, and writer. He was born on February 24, 1304 in Tangier, Morocco. He received a traditional juristic and literary education in Tangier. He is known for his account of his journeys called the Rihla. He travelled for nearly 30 years and covered most of the Islamic world, West Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China.
Trans Saharan Caravan Trade
From 1200 to 1450, an extensive trans-Saharan trading system reached its peak. Huge caravans of camels and merchants transporting goods from one “shore” of the desert to the other. Beginning with the Arab conquests in the seventh century, trade across the Sahara linked the great kingdoms of West Africa to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean worlds.
Djenne
Djenné, ancient trading city and center of Muslim scholarship, southern Mali. It is situated on the Bani River and on floodlands between the Bani and Niger rivers, 220 miles (354 km) southwest of Timbuktu. The city, which sits on hillocks (small hills) known as toguère, becomes an island during the area’s seasonal flooding.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about 8 miles (13 km) north of the Niger River. The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.
