Ghana

• Also known as Wagadou

• Existed from around 300 CE until 1300 CE

• Ghana became powerful by first controlling the salt trade and then the gold trade

Land of Gold

​Ghana was called the "Land of Gold" because it was a rich kingdom, with a strong government and a powerful army.

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​The King and government

​Ghana was ruled by a powerful king. He was the head of the army and controlled the religion of his people.

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The king became wealthy through controlling trade and taxing people that passed through the kingdom​

Africans prized salt for many important reasons. Salt kept meat and vegetables from spoiling in the hot weather. It made bland food tastier.

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Salt was also used as a medicine to treat many different illnesses. In addition, people in hot climates such as the Sahara needed—and still need—salt to replace the salt the body loses from sweating.

​Salt?

Stronger weapons

and tools

Iron ore was plentiful in Ghana and easy to mine. Ancient Ghanaians developed ways of working iron into strong tools and weapons. They used iron farming tools to increase the amount of food they could grow. They used iron weapons to win battles and expand their kingdom.

Trading more than resources

Many traders from northern Africa and the Middle East moved to Ghana’s cities to participate in the rich trade. Most of these traders were Muslims. The traders told the people they met about Islam. Some people of Ghana adopted this new religion. Most people continued to follow their traditional religious beliefs.

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Beginning in the late 900s, Ghana was attacked by various groups from North Africa. The Ghanaians fought off the first few attacks.

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However, in 1076, their capital was conquered. Muslim conquerors seized control. This was the beginning of Ghana’s decline.

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Fall of Ghana

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Conquered by Mali

In the early 1200s, Ghana came under attack yet again. This time the attacker was a West African king named Sundiata Keita, whose people had previously served Ghana as a conquered state. In 1240 Sundiata Keita and his army captured Ghana.

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They added the defeated kingdom of Ghana to the new empire of Mali.