Arabia
“Round their necks are collars of gold and silver.”
Ummayad Caliphate, 661–750
Songhay Empire, 1464–1591
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Kanem was founded by nomads, later breaking up and re-forming as Kanem-Bornu. Its armored horses and riders won many battles in the 16th century.
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Oyo Empire, 1400–1895 Oyo became one of the largest and most powerful west African states in the 18th century. Golden eagle, Asante
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Kanem-Bornu rider
Trans-Saharan camel caravan
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Kanem Empire, 700–1380; 1380s–1800s
Al-Bakri, 11th-century Spanish Muslim geographer, describing the dogs owned by the king of Ghana
After raids on Mali, the Songhay became the leading power in west Africa until they themselves were invaded.
Nil
This northern empire was a vast Muslim state that spread from Arabia. Unlike the others pictured, it did not have African roots.
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Benin, 1300s–1897
Queen Mother bronze
Timbuktu
This empire was famous for its skilled craftsmen, who created renowned bronzes using the “lost wax” method developed by earlier cultures in this region.
Dahomey Empire, 1600s–1894 Known for its military, including all-female units, the Dahomey Empire warred with the Oyo for control of the “Slave Coast,” selling captives to European slave traders.
Great Zimbabwe’s Main Enclosure
Mali Empire, 1230–1660s The vast trading empire of Mali became famous as far away as Europe when its ruler, Mansa Musa, traveled to Mecca in 1325 loaded with gold.
Ancient Ghana, 500s–1076 The kingdom of Ghana grew rich on gold mined from its valley and exported along the trans-Saharan trade routes. It was conquered by Berbers in 1076.
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Asante Empire, 1670–1902 The Asante empire grew wealthy from gold and expanded through military power. Its goldsmiths produced daggers, jewelry, and animalshaped ornaments, for the king.
The royal city of Great Zimbabwe was constructed as the kingdom grew rich from exporting gold to Asia. In the city center, the Main Enclosure was surrounded by walls 36 ft (11 m) high. It contained round thatched houses for the ruler and his court, a solid, conical tower, and lots of short columns topped by birds carved in soapstone rock.
BY 1200, THE TRADING TOWN OF TIMBUKTU, IN MODERN MALI, WAS A
