The Postclassical Period, c. 600 CE to c. 1450: Content Summary 3.5: Saharan Trade and the Spread of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa

Gold was in high demand for coinage in the Mediterranean economies and beyond, and it was mined from abundant deposits in the forests of West Africa. (3.5.A)

Salt, extracted in the Sahara Desert, was highly sought after in the western Sahel as a preservative and food supplement. (3.5.A)

Salt, extracted in the Sahara Desert, was highly sought after in the western Sahel as a preservative and food supplement. (3.5.A)

The creation of these states was closely associated with the regulation and taxation of the centers of exchange that had developed due to the camel-based trade routes coming to an end there because camels were unable to carry goods into the humid forests south of the Sahara. (3.5.B)

In addition to commercial wealth, the Sahel and Sudan supported settled agriculture—especially in the Niger River Valley—that sustained food surpluses and social stratification. (3.5.B)

Sudanic states such as Ghana, Mali, and Songhai created equestrian armies that conquered territory and secured sources of taxation and tribute. (3.5.B)

Sudanic rulers were usually patriarchs of a particular family or possessed lineage linking them to prominent families of the various communities they ruled. (3.5.B)

Sudanic rulers were usually patriarchs of a particular family or possessed lineage linking them to prominent families of the various communities they ruled. (3.5.B)

Sudanic rulers were usually patriarchs of a particular family or possessed lineage linking them to prominent families of the various communities they ruled. (3.5.B)

Muslim merchants, Muslim scholars, and Sufi mystics traveled the trans-Saharan trade routes and diffused Islam from Arabs to Berbers and eventually to the people of western and central Sudan. (3.5.C)

The Islamic tradition of combining the powers of the state and religion appealed to Sudanic rulers as a means for reinforcing their authority. (3.5.C)

The concurrent spread of literacy and Arabic facilitated the record keeping by Muslim advisors and scribes that supported state building. (3.5.C)

The concurrent spread of literacy and Arabic facilitated the record keeping by Muslim advisors and scribes that supported state building. (3.5.C)

Additionally, some Sudanic societies remained matrilineal despite the patriarchal practices enshrined in Sharia. (3.5.C)

Additionally, some Sudanic societies remained matrilineal despite the patriarchal practices enshrined in Sharia. (3.5.C)