Civilization Of Ghana

The Ghana Civilization existed between the years 300-1200 c. Ghana meant “Warrior King.” Some people referred to this civilization as “Magadu.” It was located in western Africa which is now western Mali. It was south of the Sahara Desert. It is mostly savanna grasslands. It would take around 40 days to cross the Sahara to get to Ghana even when traveling by camel.
The Ancient Ghana obtained wealth and power from a natural resource, gold, and camels. They used camels to help trading and it increased the quantity of goods being traded. The Ghana was a strong civilization because their capital city, Kumbi Saleh, was an important southern terminus of the Saharan trade routes. They had relations with Muslims of Northern Africa and the Middle East.
The Islamic community in Kumbi Saleh stayed a separate community away from the king’s college. Most of the knowledge of Ghana comes from Arab writers. This community has schools and mosques, but retained traditional beliefs of the King. The Ghana declined for quite a few reasons. One of the greatest ones was when Ghana became the target of attacks by the ruler Sumanguru. This happened because the Ghana began to mine new gold fields and new trade routes were opening further east. In 1235, people began to be ruled under a new ruler named Sundiata Keita. Soon after, they weakened more and more until they eventually were taken over by the Mali Empire of Sundiata. The Ghana had a lot of characteristics. Soninke would sell slaves, salt and copper for textiles, beads and finished goods. Salt was very valuable and was taxed by the king. It was also used for money. Iron and gold was the main source of wealth for this civilization. Iron was made into strong tools and weapons which could have been traded and made them stronger. Iron smiths were considered powerful magicians. Mainly because they worked with fire and earth to create iron. They traded gold for needed resources such as livestock and