Mali Songhai and Ghana--Kingdoms built on trade

Mineral resources--gold and salt--were the major reason for the trade that built the wealth and power of the West African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. The location of these kingdoms gave them access to generous supplies of both these valuable resources.

The earliest West African kingdom was Ghana. It was located just north of the gold mines in the African rain forest and just south of the salt mines in the Sahara. Muslim Arabs living near the north African coast wanted the gold available in the south. The people of the south, living inland in the hot and salt less rain forest, needed salt to survive. As a result, a lively trade grew up between the north and south.

The trade route crossed the trackless wastes of the Sahara, which had to be navigated, almost like a sea. Surrounding the desert were inland "ports,' places where camel caravans would form to travel together to a common destination. Traveling in groups was necessary as protection against robbery along the wary. Some caravans had as many as 12,000 camels. Using the stars or familiar rocks, pilots would guide the caravans along routes that took them to oases, where they could replenish their water supplies. These slow-moving processions could take up to six months to reach their destination, another inland "port" across the desert.

Over the centuries, trade expanded both in types of goods traded and in ports reached. Koala nuts and slaves from the south were tracded for manufactured goods, foods, and horses from the north. Trade routes were extended to seaports along the Mdeiterranean Sea and the Atalntic Ocean, opening West African trade to Europe.

This vital trade was helped by the prosperous kingdoms of West Africa. To the arabs of the north, Ghana became known as the "Land of Gold" and its ruler, the "King of Gold." He was the richest and most powerful leader in what the Arabs called the "Land of the Blacks."

Later, Mali grew even stronger and richer than Ghana. It too amazed and impressed the Muslim Arabs. When making a pilgrimage from Tombouctou to Mecca, Mali' great leader Mansa Musa was accompanied by 60,000 people. Among the pilgrims were 500 slaves, each carying a 4 pound bar of gold. Mana Musa spent the gold freely along his route. It is said that all this lavish spending along the route through Egypt and Arabia depressed the value of gold there for al least 12 years.

Songhai carried on Ghana's and Mali's trading tradition. In the end, though, salt and gold helped bring down the kingdom of Songhai. Relations between Songhai and Morocco to the north became strained. Morocco was eager to displace Songhai as the leader in the Saharna trade and to get the gold that Shonghai controlled. Furthermore, Morocco claimed sole right to a valuable Shararan salt mine that was vital to Songhai's survival. In the late 1500s -early 1600's, Moroocco attacked Songhai and destroyed it.