African Trade Routes in the Middle Ages
12th Grade · Social Studies · 45 min
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Learning Objective
I can analyze the impact of trade routes on the economic and cultural development of Africa during the Middle Ages.
- 1
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca with a large entourage and vast amounts of gold helped create the European myth of West Africa as a land of El Dorado.
- 2
Islam spread in West Africa through trade routes, with early converts being traders who benefited from religious connections, followed by kings seeking prestige and access to scholars.
- 3
Swahili civilization was a collection of city states linked by language, trade, and religion, with Swahili being a Bantu-based language heavily influenced by Arabic.
