Introduction

The Internet Resources

Africa-general

• African Voices African Voices African Voices - This Smithsonian site is wonderfully rich graphically and has a huge, well organized compiliation of resources on the history of Africa from ancient times to now. 

• Multi-media Africa Archives - Here are pictures and maps of modern and historical Africa.

• Timeline of African History to 1500 - This is a timeline of West African History with links to supporting information.

Ghana

• Ghana Empire - The Ghana Empire lay in what is now southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. Ghana empire was an important black trading state in West Africa from about the A.D.  300's to the mid-1000's.

• Civilizations in Africa: Ghana - Although it originated in the late fourth century, Ghana only became a major regional power near the end of the millenium. Although the state was originally formed by Berbers, it was built on the southern edge of Berber populations. Eventually the state became dominated by the Soninke, a Mande speaking people living in the region bordering the Sahara

• Ghana in 1067 C.E. - This is a concise, easy to read description of Ghana in 1067 C.E.

Mali

• Mali Empire - Mali empire was a black empire that flourished in west Africa from about 1240 to 1500. At its height, the Mali Empire controlled most of what are now Gambia, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal, and parts of  present-day Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger.

• Dogon People - According to oral tradition, the Dogon people of south-central Mali originated near the headwaters of the Niger River.

• Mansa Musa - Mansa Musa captured the attention of the Arab world when he left his home in Mali to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324.

• Sundiata - Sundiata's forces killed Samanguru and destroyed his forces in the Battle of Kirina in 1235.  Sundiata then became mansa, or king of a new empire which we know today as Mali.

• Annenburg/CPB Projects Exhbits Collection:Collapse of Empires - Explores the collapse of four ancient civilizations, including Mali and Songhai. 

• Mali - This site includes a short history of Mali, information on its African neighbors, interactive tests, links, an art gallery, maps and links to Songhay.

• Islamic History of Timbuktu - Description: Here is an extensive investigation into the Islamic legacy of this legendary African city. It includes information about many famous travelers who visited and wrote about Timbuktu. 

• Mali and Songhai - Article on the decline of the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai, as well as the smaller kingdom of Ghana before them, were once great trading kingdoms famous for their gold. Yet despite their greatness, they each declined for similar reasons.

• Ancient Mali - Mali Empire, empire in West Africa that rose to dominance in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Mali Empire was the second and most extensive of the three great successive empires, which included the Kingdom of Ghana and Songhai. The Mali      Empire served as a model of statecraft for later kingdoms long after its decline in the  15th and16th centuries.

Songhai

• Songhai Empire - Songhai empire was a black trading state in Africa that reached its peak during the 1400's and 1500's. Songhai  began during the 700's, and by the 1400's had more power and wealth than any other west African empire. It extended from the central area of what is now Nigeria to the Atlantic coast and included parts of what are now Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

• Mali and Songhai - Article on the decline of the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai, as well as the smaller kingdom of Ghana before them, were once great trading kingdoms famous for their gold. Yet despite their greatness, they each declined for similar reasons.