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Ghana Empire |
The Ghana empire rose in 750 AD and would come under the domination of the Mali empire in 1240 AD. The empire covered an area of 1,600 kilometers and included present day Mauritania, Senegal and Mali. Ghana had a massive army numbering 200,000 soldiers with 40,000 of the soldiers being archers. The belief systems included traditional African religions as well as Islam. Imports to the empire included textiles, ornaments, salt and other materials. What really makes Ghana stand out however is the architecture. The most important area in Ghana was called El-Ghaba which is where the king lived. It was guarded by a stone wall and served as the royal and spiritual center of Ghana. The king lived in a beautiful palace which was surrounded by other domed buildings. Even though the Ghana empire existed so many centuries ago it had become so well known and admired by foreigners and Africans alike that the 1950s leader, Kwame Nkrumah, named his country Ghana in honor of the old empire. It is unclear as to why the Ghana empire declined. Some say it was invaded by the Almoravids from Morocco and that the Ghana people resisted the occupation for a decade. However not all historians agree with this theory but whatever really happened Ghana would ultimately be taken over by the Mali empire.
