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Virtual Guide | West African Kingdoms

Africa | West African Kingdoms | Religions | Dogon Culture
Benin Bronze | Catalogue

The empire of ancient Ghana, the land of gold, the empire of the Soninke people

For centuries, Europeans heard only vague rumours about Ghana, the land of gold. Arab travelers told tales of 'the richest king of the world', thriving market cities, and huge armies of well equipped soldiers. Exactly where Ghana was, they could not say.

In 1441 'Enrique the Explorer' of Portugal sent his merchant explorer ships to find the famed gold at the Guinea coast (Gold Coast), but instead they found slaves.

By the time European 19th-century European explorers reached the island of the Western Sudan, the empires had already disappeared or were in decline.

Period

It is not known when Ghana was founded, but maybe as early as 250 AD. The empire flourished from 750 - 1076. The remains of the Muslim capital Kumbi, or Kumbi Saleh, were discovered in 1914 at the Mauritania - Bonnel Meziere. Supposedly, its twin - city El-Ghaba, only six miles from Kumbi, was the center of government and (animist) religion. Archeologist Meziere speculated that the ruins of a nearly city called Ghanata could be the lost city of El-Ghaba.

Government

The Arab scholar, El-Bekri, reported on the well - organized and sophisticated system of government with a king, as the 'father' of the Soninke people. The King was religious leader, chief of army, highest justice and economic leader of the empire. Trade in slaves, cattle, sheep, honey, wheat, raisins, dried fruit, ivory and pearls and taxes on gold and salt formed the main sources of wealth.

Capital

Kumbi was inhabited mostly by Arab and Berber merchants, all Muslims. The city had twelve mosques, which were also the centers of learning. It was surrounded by 'wells of fresh water from which they drink and near which they grow vegetables.' El-Bekri. 1607.

Twin capital, El-Ghaba

"around the king's town are woods where live the sorcerers of the people, the men in charge of the religious cult. These woods are guarded and no unauthorized person can enter them." El Bekri. 1607.

El-Ghaba means 'forest'. The legend tells that the spirit serpent, Wagadu - Bida, (ouagadou - Bida), the guardians of Ghana wealth lived in these woods.

Decline and Fall of the empire.
The Muslim fanatic fundamentalist, Abdullah ibn Yasin and his followers, "El morabetin, the men of the monastery, in the West called the 'Almoravid', waged a thirty year 'jihad', a holy war, on Ghana. Kumbi fell in 1067 precluding the end of the empire." In 1203, the Sosso king Sumanguru recaptured the city from the Almoravids. A terrible drought finished off whatever was left standby 1250, the once-great empire of Ghana had vanished.

Timbouctou, Mali

The principal southern terminus of trans-Saharan trade and former center of Islamic studies, famous for its university in medieval times.

Founded by Tuaregs nine miles from the northwest bend of the Niger River in Mali, Timbouctou's (Timbuctu) fame goes back to its prominence as a commercial, religious, and educational center in the Middle Ages, especially during the 1500s. At present, Timbouctou, with an estimated population of 20,500, is a town of mostly adobe buildings, with a prominent cone-shaped great mosque on its western skirts. Two other mosques, Sidi Yahia, at the town's center and Sankoré, located northeast of the town, punctute its skyline. The majority of the town's inhabitants are Songhai. Timbouctou is connected with the Niger River by canals, and the town of Kabana serves as its port. Between Mach and June, caravan traders and nomadic herders camp out around town to sell their goods at the market, increasing the population significantly.

In ancient times the region around Timbouctou is said to have been populated by the Songhai. Early songhai settlers first established Gao along the northeastern bend of the Niger, directly east of Timbouctou, and Djenné-Jeno to the south, both commercial centers along the trans-Saharan caravan routes.

The songhai captured Timbouctou in 1468. Between 1494 and 1529 Timbouctou reached what was perhaps its greatest height under Askia Muhammad's rule. During this period a center of higher learning, the 'university' of Timbouctou, was established at the Mosque of Sankoré. It became a renowned center of Islamic studies, with scholars educated in learning Islamic academies of the Middle East. Timbouctou, is still the repository of a number of valuable manuscripts in Arabic, including the Tarik es-Sudan, a history of the Sudan written by the religious scholar Abderrahman Sadi in the 1600s.

Timbouctou became the port of entree for 19th century discoveries like Barth, Laing and Caille. They either passed through or lived in Timbouctou. The Tuaregs felt betrayed when European armies followed in the wake of the discoveries who (that) turned out to be merely scouts and spies.

Dogon Culture

From 1928, the French anthropologist F. Griaule recorded the oral tradition of Ogotemeli, a great blind griot of the Dogon people who have lived in the valley and along the steep escarpment of Bandiagara since 1200 AD. Ogotemeli told of the ways of the Telem (1000 BC - 800 AD), the predecessor of the Dogon and of the people of the inland Niger delta, the Dogon.

The Dogon knew extensive social and administrative order. A cephalic rule, with a council of elders represented in the village or town 'Toguna', as well as rule by a king occurred.

The use and working of iron and bronze were well known and very sophisticated. An intensive vegetable gardening and cotton culture with irrigation systems produced an abundance of flood and high quality woven products.

Ogotemeli's creation story is characteristic for the region. "The God Amma ... took a lump of clay, squeezed it in its hand and flung it from him, as he had done with the stars. The clay spread and fell on the north, which is the top, and from there stretched out to the south, which is the bottom of the world. The earth lies flat... It extends east and west like separate memvers like a fetus in a womb. This body, lying flat, face upwards, in a line from north to south, is feminine. Its sexual organ is an anthill, and its clitoris a termite hill, Amma, being lonely and desirous of intercourse with this creature, approached it. That was the occasion of the first breach of order of the universe.
At the God's approach, the termite hill rose up, barring passage and displaying its masculinity. It was as powerful and potent as the organ of the stranger, and there was no possibility of intercourse. But as we have learned Amma was all-powerful. He cut down the termite hill and had intercourse with the excised earth.

The twins Amma had expected from the union did not come forth; instead came a jackal.

Only after water was introduced in the following unions did the twin arrive. These spirits were called Nommo and were of divine essence like Amma.

Later, after Nommo came down to earth and entered the anthill to protect their mother against the incestuous advance of the jackal, the male aspect of Nommo took the place of the masculine element, while the female element, and the womb became part of the earth."

Benin Bronze

The Oni of Ife, the King and keeper of ritual power, granted prince Oranmiyan, to lead the Oyo people. This leader, the Oba, built a splendid court, with a magnificent galleries and gates upon gates of pleasing vistas. The Oyo pay hoage to the great founder Oranmiyan and to the supreme spirit, Shango.