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Ghana was established around 600 AD. The people of Ghana started as farmers, but the sahara desert expanded into their lands due to droughts.
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The people started out as farmers, but after many droughts, they became Traders. One of there main trading partners were the Arabs. They traded ivory, slaves, and gold.
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This guy was all about architecture. He had a lavish castle of wood and mud, with windows,statues, and customized art. He built temples, prisons and tombs for his goverment officials.
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Muslin invaders attack the empire, and capture the capital, which was the beginning of their decline.
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King Sumanguru does his best to make Ghana great again, but....
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A new empire east of Ghana, Mali, defeated Ghana, and ended the Empire, used their land and grew their own empire
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Sundatia, a magician/warrior becomes in charge of Mali.
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Sundiata destroys the remaining capital of Ghana, and becomes in charge of the gold for salt, salt for gold trade.
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Mansa Musa, grandnephew of Sundiata, takes charge. Very religous Muslim.
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Mansa Musa goes to Mecca on Hajj, and comes back with thousands of slaves, and a hundreds of pounds of gold. (Take that all you people who skip church!)
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He left the empire in pretty good shape. Timbuktu was the learning center of the world. Mali had a strong goverment and a not in debt (gasp) economy. His empire was extremely patriotic.
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Lead by Sunni Ali, a muslim, Songhai destroyed Mali, making it the most powerful West African Empire.
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The smartest guy in all of Sonhai becomes the leader. Askia Muhammad, who liked learning, trade, and forcing neighbors to give up their men and boys as soldiers.
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Askia, like Mansa Musa back in Mali, did his hajj, and went to Mecca. He came back with a different kind of gold, doctors, architects, scientists and scholars. He brought back the gold of educated people. (see a pattern, church/temple/mosque/mass skippers?) Banks, schools, mosques and courts were created. They were living the dream
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An invasion from Morocco and Spain, destroys Songhai, the last African Empire
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The king of Ghana became a Muslim. He taxed goods through his kingdom and created a large army to exact tribute (collect payment for protection) from neighboring communities.
