It was not until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when Europeans colonized Africa. By that time, the Africans already had progressive civilizations. This included having wealth and power through trade, a well-organized society, and a vigorous military force/government. Along all the land routes and sea routes, such as the trans-Saharan trade route, many products were traded. For example, products such as gold, salt, ivory, animal skins, etc. Aksum’s location by the Red Sea provided it with a large coastline and ports which gave access to the Indian Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Since Aksum was surrounded by water, it was easier to get products place by place using caravans. The only way for the Arabs and the Wangara to trade was to pass through the ancient empire of Ghana. The Arab traders wanted gold while the Wangara traders wanted salt. Ghana’s military force helped keep peace and safety throughout the trade routes as well as the empire. One important factor throughout Africa was the gold supply. Also, since the civilizations were so wealthy, the people lived happier and more organized.
The wealth was evident in clothing, shields, and animal accessories such as a horse trappings and a dog’s collar. An Arab scholar, Al-Bakri, describes the king’s court in ancient Ghana covered in gold. An Egyptian official visited Mansa Musa and was impressed with the amount of gold present. A Moroccan traveler went to the city of Timbuktu and was fascinated due to the many opportunities of work there was such as doctors, judges, priests, etc. which were supported and funded by the king. The military force’s job was to maintain peace and protection all over the cities and empires.
The Essay on Silk Road And Shaharan Trade Routes
The Silk Road and the Saharan Caravan trade routes had many differences and similarities in their development and the impact on the civilizations they made. They were comparable and diverse in many areas of society such as: the development of the empire and how it all began, architecture and writing that was developed, and the spread of religion throughout the region between 300 BCE – 600 CE. The ...
When Ibn Battuta traveled to Mali, he was very impressed with the justice and security the people had. In Mali, they hated the thought of lack of fairness or justice. They believe everybody has their own rights but to show no mercy to anyone who is guilty. Also, they were extremely stern when it came to punishments due to not obeying the law. Ancient African Civilizations were successful mainly because of the outcome of trade, wealth and power. Because of these two things, the empires did not decline quickly and accomplished many things.
