Caption: Mansa Musa depicted on the 1375 Catalan Atlas, seated on a throne and holding a large gold nugget. This European mapmaker's portrayal reflects how Mali's gold wealth was legendary even across the Mediterranean.
Geography and logistics of trans-Saharan trade
- •
- •
- •
- •
Gold and salt: the two pillars
- •
- •
Silent barter
West African kingdoms and empires
Spread of Islam in West Africa
Social and environmental consequences
Primary sources
Al-Bakri on Ghana (1068)
Al-Umari on Mansa Musa's Hajj (c. 1337)
Key figures
Vocabulary
Unit 2 topics
Unit 2 overview2.1The Silk Roads2.10Comparison of the Effects of Connectivity2.2The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World2.3Exchange in the Indian Ocean2.4Trans-Saharan Trade Routes2.5Cultural Consequences of Connectivity2.6Environmental Consequences of Connectivity2.7Comparison of Economic Exchange2.8Effects of the Mongol Empire2.9Causes and Effects of the Bubonic Plague