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Below you will find primary source accounts of the wealth of the West African Trading Kingdoms of Ghana and Mali. After answering the document based questions answer the Big Question in at least two paragraphs. Document A. ROYALTY GORGEOUSLY ATTIRED "The King adorns himself like a woman wearing necklaces round his neck and bracelets on his forearms and he puts on a high cap decorated with gold and wrapped in a turban of fine cotton. He holds an audience in a domed pavilion around which stand ten horses covered with gold-embroidered materialsand on his right, are the sons of the vassal kings of his country, wearing splendid garments and their hair plaited with gold. At the door of the pavilion are dogs of excellent pedigree. Round their necks they wear collars of gold and silver, studded with a number of balls of the same metals." 10th century geographer Al-Bakri, quoted in Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History. 1. Choose one quote from the document that you feel best captures the wealth of Ghana. 2. DO you think Al-Bakri was impressed or disgusted at the show of wealth in Ghana? Explain

Document B. MUSLIMS IN ANCIENT GHANA "The city of Ghana consists of two towns situated on a plain. One of these towns, which is inhabited by Muslims, is large and possesses twelve mosques in one of which they assemble for the Friday prayer. There are salaried imams and muezzins, as well as jurists and scholars. The king's town is six miles distant from this one The king has a palace and a number of domed dwellings all surrounded with an enclosure like a city wall. Around the king's town are domed buildings and groves and thickets where the sorcerers of these people, men in charge of the religious cult, live. In them too are their idols and the tombs of their kings." Taken from an account by geographer Al-Bakri. 1. List 3 Social Classes of Ancient Ghana that are discussed in the document. 2. Describe the position, power, or responsibilities of one of those social classes.

Document C. ORIGINS "Mali guards its secrets jealously. There are things which the uninitiated will never know, for the griots, their depositories, will never betray them." Oral history, recited by Malian djeli (or oral historian) Mamadou Kouyate. 1. Interpret what the griot (oral historian of the village) meant in the quote.

Document D. Leadership in Mali Mali emerged against the back-drop of a declining of Ghana under the dynamic leadership of Sundiata of the Keita clan. But the region he took over had a past rich in trade and powerful rulers SUNDIATA THE HERO "He was a lad full of strength; his arms had the strength of ten and his biceps inspired fear in his companions. He had already that authoritative way of speaking which belongs to those who are destined to command." SOUMAORO THE VILLAIN "Since his accession to the throne of Sosso, he had defeated nine kings whose heads served him as objects in his macabre chamber. Their skins served as seats and he cut his footwear from human skin." Taken from The Epic of Old Mali, recited by the griot (oral historian) Djeli Mamadou Kouyate, edited by D. T. Niane.

1. List two different adjectives (descriptive words) that can be used to describe the characteristics of the two kings
Sundiata and Soumaora based on the document. Include the reasons why you listed those verbs. Document F. MALI DISCOVERS AMERICA? "So Abubakar equipped 200 ships filled with men and the same number equipped with gold, water, and provisions, enough to last them

for yearsthey departed and a long time passed before anyone came back. Then one ship returned and we asked the captain what news they brought. He said, 'Yes, Oh Sultan, we travelled for a long time until there appeared in the open sea a river with a powerful currentthe other ships went on ahead, but when they reached that place, they did not return and no more was seen of themAs for me, I went about at once and did not enter the river.' The Sultan got ready 2,000 ships, 1,000 for himself and the men whom he took with him, and 1,000 for water and provisions. He left me to deputise for him and embarked on the Atlantic Ocean with his men. That was the last we saw of him and all those who were with him. And so, I became king in my own right." Mansa Musa, talking to Syrian scholar Al-Umari. 1. 2. What evidence is there to support the claim that West Africans reached America before Columbus? Have you ever heard of this theory of the discovery of America by Africans? Why would this be taught by most teachers and included in most textbooks?

Document G. IBN BATTUTA TAKES ON MANSA SULEIMAN On arriving in Mali, Ibn Battuta does not mince his words. He is a miserly king, not much giving is to be expected from him. It happened that I stayed this period and did not seen him because of my sickness Finally Mansa Suleiman sends Ibn Battuta a gift, but it is definitely not up to Ibn Battutas standards. Behold three circular pieces of bread, a piece of beef fried in gharti, and a calabash of sour milk. When I saw them, I laughed and wondered a lot So he complains. I stood before the sultan and said to him, I have indeed travelled in the lands of the world. I have met their kings. I have been in your country four months and you have given me no hospitality and not given me anything. What shall I say about you before the Sultans? And that does the trick. Mansa Suleiman claims that he had not even 2ealized Ibn Battuta was in town and hastily makes amends for the previous omissions in hospitality. Then the Sultan ordered a house for me in which I stayed and he fixed an allowance for meHe was gracious to me at my departure, to the extent of giving me one hundred mitqals of gold.

1. What is Ibn Battutas career? How do you know? 2. What does Idn Battuta think about Mansa Suleiman and his gifts? 3. Why does Mansa Suleiman change the gifts he gives to Ibn Battuta? Document H. A HISTORIAN COMPARES ANCIENT MALI TO ANCIENT GHANA "To some aspect they look the same, the gold, the way they made trade. But to the opposite of Ghana, I think Mali was really able to have more territory beyond some of the area Ghana went to, like Taghaza, the salt gulf, that was all part of the empire of Mali. So territorial position was one of the greatest differences between Ghana and Mali. And also, the kind of ties Mali was able to make with peoples outside of Africa, is one of the great differences between the two empiresMali was much much more international than Ghana was." Tereba Togola, Head of Archaeology at the Institute of Human Sciences, Bamako. He is responsible for all archaeological research in Mali. Based on the historians observations, what are two differences between Ghana and Mali?