African Kingdoms and Islam

The postclassical period formed a crucial stage in African history. Early civilization in Africa had focused in the northeast, in Egypt and the areas south of it (Kush, Axum, ultimately Ethiopia) where major kingdoms formed. Agriculture and ironworking were widespread throughout much of the continent by the classical period. By the fifth century C.E., a second center of active trade and state building was developing in West Africa, in kingdoms such as Ghana and later Mali that stretched along the southern rim of the Sahara Desert. These "Sudanic kingdoms" (from the Arab world for black) built large regional holdings, with kings who claimed divine powers but also maintained careful relations with more local rulers and military leaders. Extensive trade ran from the Sudanic kingdoms to North Africa and the Middle East, involving exchanges of gold, salt, some slaves, and other products in return for more manufactured goods and horses. Growing sophistication was applied to mining technology and other activities relating to commerce, and kings profited greatly from their ability to tax international trade from the region.

Contacts with North Africa included growing awareness of Islam. Mass conversions to Islam did not occur in sub-Saharan Africa at this point, but there was important interaction. Many Sudanic kings used Muslims as bureaucrats, benefiting among other things from their education and literacy. Many kings of Mali and other domains converted to Islam, establishing major educational centers and in one case making an elaborate pilgrimage to Mecca. At the same time, sub-Saharan Africa did not become a full part of Islamic civilization as North Africa did. Political institutions, popular religion, art, and gender roles were among the features of African society that remained partly distinct.

The society that was created during this period in many parts of Africa proved highly durable. Regional kingdoms, a mixture of Islam and popular religion, active internal trade, and strong family institutions continued to characterize this civilization for many centuries, surviving easily into the nineteenth century even amid additional new influences.

The following document that I would like you to read is from an Arab traveler, who visited many African kingdoms during the fourteenth century. His observations indicate the range of contacts sub-Saharan Africa enjoyed with the Muslim world but also some of the differences that defined a separate civilization. Ibn Battuta, one of the great voyagers in world history, had been born in Morocco. He journeyed for almost 30 years in Asia, Europe, and Africa. His African accounts are extremely valuable, because no other comparable written sources exist for the period. He visited several parts of Africa, mainly through contacts with existing Arab communities--the whites, in his account--in what was an established part of the Muslim trading orbit. This was a brave traveler, with some biases and a definite love of comfort, but also with an eager curiosity about the places he visited. All things considered, Ibn Battuta IS MR. AP WORLD HISTORY! Please take this document seriously, as you will be reading a lot more from him on Monday. Click on the following link (Ibn Battuta- Travels) to read excerpts from this document. When you are finished reading I would like you all to think about and discuss the following: How is it clear that Ibn Battuta assumes the presence of standard institutions of civilization in sub-Saharan Africa? What kinds of government does Ibn Battuta describe? What did he find strange? Are his observations likely to have been accurate, and if not, what might explain his exaggerations? In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using travelers' accounts for information about a past society? What kind of ties did sub-Saharan Africa maintain with the Islamic world? What were the major differences between the two societies? Finally, why did African leaders maintain distinctions along with their genuine appreciation of Islam? Your thoughts...