How did Ghana, Mali, and Songhai become rich?

Mali:
Mali became rich because they had important trade routes which led into a lot of traders traveling through them and they had to pay taxes on their goods, and the leader controlled trade routes.

Ghana and Songhai:
Ghana and Songhai became rich because salt and gold were the basis of trade. Traders exchanged salt for gold, and some gold was sold to traders and salt was valuable.
Done by:

Tala Salhi and Anoud Huneiti

Why do you think Islam spread so quickly in Mecca and surrounding areas?

I think that Islam spread so quickly in Mecca and surrounding areas because trade at these times was the most important means of culture and knowledge exchange. Also, because all people went from Mecca to all over the world to spread God’s message.
Done by:

Done by
Amena Al Abadi
Ghena Haikal
Joanne Abbasi
Rozan Farah

What happened to Muhammad in 622?

Muhammad and his followers were invited to Yathrib. The people there regarded him as a prophet. This moment of early Muslims is known the Yathrib as the hijra. The year of hijra- 622 in the calendar used in the United States-became year 1 on the Muslim calendar. Medina quickly became an important Islamic center.


Done by
Amena Al Abadi
Ghena Haikal
Joanne Abbasi
Rozan Farah

Mali began to lose its power when mansa musa died. Why do you think?

Mali began to lose its power when Mansa Musa died, because before he died he used his new ties to the Muslim people to make Mali a center of learning. Although when he died These learnings and powers began to fade. And raiders attacked from north, and fighting broke out within the kingdom. And some provinces broke away and became independent.
By Jina Sirriyeh

What was the effect of mansa musas trip to mecca on both Mali and mecca ?

The effect of Mansu Musa's trip to mecca on Mali was creating new ties between Mali and Muslim peoples of North Africa and Southwest Asia. Mansa Musa used these ties to these Muslim people to make Mali a center of learning. Scholars came to teach religion, mathematics, medicine and law.

-All in all, it created new tires between Mali and Mecca

By Leen Kurdi

How did Mali, Ghana and Songhai get rich?

Mali ----> Mali had grown rich from trade, traders traveling through these lands had to pay taxes on all their goods. This also made the kingdom rich. It had become the most powerful kingdom in West Africa. Then Mansa Musa become the ruler of Mali. He expanded his kingdom and made a new ties between Mali and the Muslim peoples of North Africa and Southwest Asia and he used these ties to make Mali a center of learning. All these things ( the expansion of the country and the ties between the countries) made Mali a richer country.



Songhai ----> Songhai's leader controlled trade routes and the sources of salt and gold, which made the country rich. It's wealth and power grew when it conquered the rich trading city of Tombouctou.



Ghana ----> Ghana is a kingdom built on trading salt and gold which means that they have lots of salt and gold and that also means that they are rich. Salt was very valuable. People needed it to flavor food, to preserve meat and to maintain good health so they used to trade a lot of salt. Ghana was just north of the rich gold fields.


By Leen Kurdi

Why do you think the religion of Islam spread quickly in Mecca?

Opinions:-
1) Because prophet Mohammad started spreading Islam in small groups which helped.

2) Because prophet Mohammad lived in Mecca and many people saw his miracles and they were convinced so they became Muslims.

3) Mecca was a famous trading centre so when traders came they wanted to know about their culture and religion so when they went back to their country and told others about it they became Muslims.

-Done By:
-Serina Nasser
-Ola Haha
-Dina Jadallah
-Natalie Karajeh
-Layan Degashi
-Dana Abu-Ghdaib
-Farah Atieh J

Video on West African Kingdoms - Focus on Mali

Video Transcript

In the 14th century, beyond the reach of the black death, one culture flourished. In West Africa, a remote kingdom controlled most of the western world’s god. In 1352 Ibn Battuta , the greatest traveler of the age, set off across
the Sahara to see for himself the Empire of Mali.
He crossed the desert with a salt caravan. Salt allowed the people of Mali and their animals to survive the ferocious heat. Salt is dug out of the ground in huge slabs.

Salt is traded here still carried by camel as it was in the 14th century. Mined in the north, the salt moved south to be exchanged for fortunes in gold dust. Merchants came to Mali from all points of the horizon. In a single year, one writer recorded over 12,000 camels on just one of the roads.
Once in Mali, Ibn Battuta travelled on its main highway , the river Niger.
Ibn Battuta
“When we arrived at the arm of the river, I saw 16 beasts with enormous bodies. I said to Abu Baker, what beast are these? And he said, these are horses of the river, Hippopotami.”

The boatmen feared them and came in close contact to the shore so as not to be drowned by them.
In the 14th century, the great mosque of Djenne stood at the heard of Mali’s empire. Here Ibn Battuta found familiar ways of life and routines of prayer. Malian cities like Timbuktu and Djenne were famed throughout the Muslim world. Their mosques, libraries and schools represent gathering places for Islamic intellectuals.

Their texts were adorned with the source of Mali’s wealth, Gold. Gold also paid for Royal magnificence in the court poetry and music, in praise of the ruler.
They are the most humble of men before their king. When he calls on one of them, the man invited takes off his clothes and wears patched clothes. Takes off his turban and puts on a dirty cap. He advances in humility like a beggar . He hits the ground with his elbows. He hits it hard. When the sultan sits in council, drums are beaten, bugles sounded.

In Mali today, people still celebrate the 14th century king Mansa Musa. Everything about him , they say, exuded majesty. His stately gate, his wives, the concubines, and attendance, the way he talked to the people only through a spokesman.
Mali’s traditional story tellers “The Jalis” still sing in praise of their most powerful ruler.
Mali’s wealth paid for an army and military expansion. The strength of the Mansa’s army was cavalry. Mali’s mounted soldiery survive still in terracotta.
Heavy headed aristocrats with protuberant lips and up titled heads, crowned with crested helmets , ride on elaborately bridled horses.
The power of these warriors established the Mansa’s rule over the desert, grass lands and forest of West Africa.
As the empire grew, so did control of precious trade routes. Mali’s merchants followed in the footsteps of the Sultan’s soldiers. Wealth flowed to the market place. In the markets of the south.
Ibn Battuta saw gold in abundance, traded pound for pound for salt. But the Malians kept the source of their gold a closely guarded secret. Outsiders heard only rumors and fables. It grew like carrots. It was brought up by amps in the form of nugget. It was mined by naked men who lived in holes. Probably the real place of origin was the upper reaches of the Niger, as it is today.
The kings of Mali took all the gold nugget and left the gold smiths with the gold dust.
Legends of Mansa Musa’s wealth became so well known in Europe that when the king was depicted int eh most famous map of the age, the Catalan Atlas, he was holding a gold nugget.
But the legends were shown to be true. During Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca, his extravagance inflated the economies of the towns he visited. The passage of his caravan of gold was remembered for years.

Why do you think Islam spread so quickly from Mecca to the world?

Because of miracles and religious beliefs and because Mecca was a trading center and all traders shared knowledge about their cultures and lives.

by: Joanna Arida, Nadia Janho, Layan Al-Karmi, and Sarah Al-Zaben

What is similar about the Quran and other Holy books?

They tell us about the messengers of God and they give us information about God and how to reach heaven and how to earn the eternal life. These books are like guides to life and are like directions that show us how to live with God and how to be a good person. Most of them tell us about the same God and they contain many kinds of writing, including story, warnings, promises, and instructions.

by: Joanna Arida, Nadia Janho, Layan Al-Karmi, and Sarah Al-Zaben - 7 C

What caused the split in Islam after the assasination of Uthman in 656?

- Uthman's death caused the split of Muslims into two groups.
- After decades the two main groups had shown more, people started taking sides.
- The two groups were called Shiites and Sunnis the smaller was Shiites and the larger as Sunnis.
- Shiites said that the ruler must be a man and to be the direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad.
- Sunnis decided to follow directly what the prophet Muhammad said.
- Shiites said that their leader must explain what Muhammad received from God.
- Sunnis said that No man even the leader of Islam can explain For Muslims what was God message and what it meant.
- Sunnis said that the message will be best explained by the the Quran al Kareem.

Thank you,
Group Members:
-Noor Ghosheh
-Hala Al-Madi
-Aya Fraij
-Suha Khali

7 C

Greek Fire....

For all grade 7 students,

Why was Greek fire an important source of power for the people of Constantinople?

Post your thoughts and answers as a comment.....

Artlink Project - Jordan / USA

To all ASG grade 8 students.....

How has the cultural exchange of the Artlink Project affected your preconception of the USA's culture till this day?

What has the exchange added or modified in your own ideas and thoughts?

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