Sub-Saharan Africa

Bantu farmers reach Orange River in present-day South Africa

500

Bantu farmers reach Orange River in present-day South Africa

Kingdom of Ghana is established in west Africa

550

Kingdom of Ghana is established in west Africa

Traders from Arabia establish the first Islamic settlements on the east coast of Africa

Oct 3, 650

Traders from Arabia establish the first Islamic settlements on the east coast of Africa

Arab expedition crosses the Sahara desert and makes contact with the kingdom of Ghana

Oct 3, 753

Arab expedition crosses the Sahara desert and makes contact with the kingdom of Ghana

City of Kumbi, capital of Ghana, is sacked by an Almoravid army

Oct 3, 1076

City of Kumbi, capital of Ghana, is sacked by an Almoravid army

Bantu migration stopped

Oct 3, 1100

City of Lalibela becomes the capital of Christian Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1117

City of Lalibela becomes the capital of Christian Ethiopia

Kingdom of Mwenemutapa is established in Zimbabwe

Oct 3, 1200

Churches, such as that of St. George, are carved out of solid rock at Lalibela in Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1200

Samanguru establishes himself as ruler of the remnants of the kingdom of Ghana

Oct 3, 1203

Sundiata I becomes king of the city-state of Mali

Oct 3, 1230

Sundiata, king of Mali, defeats Samanguru, city of Ghana, and establishes the empire of Mali

Oct 3, 1240

Warlord Yekuno Amlak seizes control of Ethiopia and establishes the Solomonid dynasty

Oct 3, 1270

Kingdom of Benin is established on the west coast of Africa

Oct 3, 1300

Military expedition from Egypt establishes an Islamic ruler in Nubia

Oct 3, 1316

King Amda Seyon extends Chrisitian control to south Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1320

Pilgrimage of Mansa Musa to Mecca marks the highpoint of the empire of Mali

Oct 3, 1324

War breaks out between Christian Ethiopia and neighboring Islamic kingdoms

Oct 3, 1332

Kingdom of Songhai breaks away from the empire of Mali

Oct 3, 1375

Portuguese explorers reach Cape Bojador on the west coast of Africa

Oct 3, 1416

Ships from Ming China establish direct contact with the Islamic towns of east Africa

Oct 3, 1421

Desert nomads capture the city of Timbuktu in the southwest Sahara desert

Oct 3, 1433

Zara Yaqob becomes king of Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1434

Walled enclosure and tower are built at Great Zimbabwe, capital of the Mwenemutapa kingdom

Oct 3, 1440

Portugese explorers reach Cape Verde, west Africa

Oct 3, 1445

King of Songhai, Sonni Ali, begins campaigns to overthrow Mali; start of Songhai empire

Oct 3, 1464

Songhai empire conquers Timbuktu

Oct 3, 1468

Portuguese establish a trading post at El Mina on the coast of present-day Ghana

Oct 3, 1471

Portuguese explorers make contact with the west African kingdom of Kongo

Oct 3, 1483

Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias sails around the south tip of Africa into the Indian Ocean

Oct 3, 1487

Nzinga Nkuwu, king of Kongo, converts to Christianity

Oct 3, 1490

Muhammad Askia becomes emperor of Songhai, with the city of Gao as his capital

Oct 3, 1493

Sailing from Portugal, Vasco da Gama calls at the east Africa port of Mombasa en route to India

Oct 3, 1498

Port of Zanzibar on the east coast of Africa is founded by Islamic traders from south Arabia

Mar 2, 2022

Port of Zanzibar on the east coast of Africa is founded by Islamic traders from south Arabia

Kingdom of Kanem is established around the west shore of Lake Chad

Mar 2, 2022

Kingdom of Kanem is established around the west shore of Lake Chad

Falasha warriors under Queen Gudit sack the city of Aksum

Mar 2, 2022

Falasha warriors under Queen Gudit sack the city of Aksum