GHANA EMPIRE

[img]http://1.2.3.13/bmi/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Ghana_empire_map.png/250px-Ghana_empire_map.png[/img]

Introduction:
The origins and rise of the ancient West African Empire of Ghana, situated in the far western savannah, are obscure. It may have existed as early as the 5th century AD or even before. However, by the 8th century AD Ghana had become important enough for its fame as "The Land of Gold" to reach Baghdad.

By 1068 it was reported in a book by a learned Arab scholar of Cordoba by the name of Al-Bakri that Ghana was the largest, wealthiest and most powerful state in West Africa. The empire was situated in the vast Savannah area between the Senegal and Niger Rivers, its authority extending from the frontiers of Futa Toro to the western banks of the Niger, and from the Mandinka area in the south to beyond the fringes of the desert in the north.

Founders of Ghana:
The founding ruling people of this "Land of Gold" were the Serahule (Soninke), the indigenous inhabitants of the area, who established their capital at (Koumbi) Kumbi Saleh, at the time a leading trading centre of the Western Sudan. The Serahule who lived to the north of the upper waters of the Niger River formed themselves into a strong trading state. This state spread its power over many neighbouring peoples and in the process the trading state became an empire. It commanded a large region of trade, security and strong government. It lasted for several hundred years and was deeply respected by travellers who came within its borders, as well as those who read or heard about it beyond its borders.

Growth of Empire:
The name of the state was originally known as Wagadou (Ouagadou, Aoukar) by its rulers, but the name of Ghana came into general use because one of the king's titles "Ghana" meant war chief. Each succeeding king was known by his own name and also by the title of Ghana. Another important title of the king was Kaya Maghan. This means "Lord of the gold" because he controlled the export of the valuable metal.

The king's main duties were to organise the trade and keep good relations with the Saharan traders, as well as acting as senior religious leader and as representative on earth of the "founding ancestors" of the Serahule people.

Next came an expansion of Serahule power over neighbouring peoples who were also involved in trade. The wider the territory the Serahule could control, the more prosperous they would be. The kings of Ghana were able to make lesser kings or chiefs obey their laws and pay them taxes which increased the wealth of Ghana. With more wealth the kings of Ghana had more power and could command the services of many descent lines. They could raise big armies and employ large numbers of messengers and other servants.

Government:
With the growth of the empire, the Serahule, like other peoples of West Africa who founded similar states, were inventing new methods of governing themselves, of raising money to pay for government, and of producing wealth. These systems, at that stage of social organisation, needed a single authority or government that could rule over many lesser authorities or governments. That central authority, according to the thought and customs of the time, could only be a king.

The growth in the power of the central authority was the result of international trade. The Serahule, as mentioned earlier, occupied the the lands to the north of the upper waters of the Niger and as such enjoyed a position of great value and power. Their towns and trading settlements became the middlemen between the Berber and Arab traders of the north and the gold and ivory producers of the south. It was this middleman position which made Ghana strong and prosperous and gave its rulers glory and power.

At the peak of its power, the Kingdom of Ghana consisted of Ghana proper or metropolitan Ghana, and provincial Ghana. The provincial part consisted of the states that had been conquered and annexed. Central government was the responsibility of the king and his ministers, the governor of the capital city, and a number of civil servants who, by the middle of the 11th century, were Muslims who could keep records and communicate in Arabic. As semi-divine ruler, the king could appeal to a vital combination of both the religious and political loyalties of his people.

Since the empire included many areas whose people were not Serahule and therefore had religious loyalties to other gods of whom the king was not the earthly representative, a dual system of provincial rule was introduced for the interest of imperial unity.

In the non-Serahule areas, the local ruler was the natural ruler of his own people selected by their customary procedures and confirmed in office by the king of Ghana proper. In order to ensure the continued allegiance of the conquered states, the kings of Ghana insisted on the son of each vassal king being sent to their court. Both provincial governors of Serahule areas and tributary rulers of conquered peoples had the duties of loyalty to the king, provisions of annual tribute and the contribution of bands of warriors to the imperial army when they were required for active service. In return, the king provided protection against external enemies, facilities for sharing in the prosperous trade and the provision of justice to settle serious quarrels that might arise within the Empire.

Legal System:
Ghana's legal system was not divorced from the executive. Each village head tried straightforward cases in his own village but those who were dissatisfied with his judgment could appeal to the provincial governor or tributary state ruler. In the last resort a man could appeal to the justice of the king himself or of his trained judges. Serious lawsuits could b judged according to Serahule custom or, if the party involved was a Muslim, according to Islamic law.

Revenue and Wealth:
As Ghana was in those days a fertile area, its people were able to supply abundant foodstuffs and useful materials for housing for the upkeep of the king and his hierarchy of officials. Another source of wealth was provided by the revenue system of the empire based on annual tribute in produce, taxes on trade and the spoils of war.

In addition, the strategic position of the capital city of Kumbi Saleh between the gold fields of Wangara and the desert routes of the North African merchants gave the city an important position in the Trans-Saharan Trade. Thus Kumbi became an important commercial centre where the essential salt and horses plus luxury good brought by North African merchants were exchanged for gold, slaves, ostrich feathers, ivory, gum and other commodities. On all their goods the king collected customs duties in gold for both import and exports. Furthermore, any gold nuggets found by gold miners automatically became the property of the king and was added to his treasury which contained lumps of solid gold. This law both increased royal wealth as well as regulated supply.

The City of Kumbi Saleh:
At the height of Ghana's prosperity, before 1240 AD, the city of Kumbi Saleh was the biggest West African city of its day and had as many as 15,000 inhabitants. About 320 kilometres north of modern Bamako, Kumbi was a twin city with two separate centres 9.6 kilometres apart. Although the two towns were linked by a continuum of houses, they were distinct in character and function. The one part formed the Muslim quarter where the North African merchants resided during their trading missions to Ghana. This was the main commercial area and their influence was apparent in the many stone built houses, the 12 mosques and the presence of many clerical scholars. So long as they obeyed the laws and paid their taxes, the traders were accorded safety and hospitality. This was a partnership in long-distance trade that lasted for a very long time.

The other 'town' of Kumbi, known as Al-Ghaba, was the more important for it was the administrative centre of the Serahule Empire and where the King of Ghana lived in his royal residence made of stone and decorated with paintings, carvings and fitted with glass windows. Close to the palace there was a stone mosque for the use of Muslim visitors and officials. The rest of the buildings of Al-Ghaba were constructed of mud and thatch in the traditional manner and around the whole quarter were defensive earthen walls.

THE DECLINE
Decline:
In the 11th century, the Ghana Empire certainly presented the familiar picture of a centralised government with stable state institutions. However, in spite of statehood, splendour and wealth, Ghana was no more by 1240. The reasons for its decline and fall were due to a combination of internal and external factors.

The first reason was the way in which the empire was organised. At its peak it was made up of many states and peoples and so lacked political and cultural unity which the kings of Ghana failed to achieve. The different ethnic groups such as the Soninke, Susu, Serer, Berber and Tuclor each with its own distinctive language and cultures owed allegiance to the king.

Conquered states such as Futa Toro, Silla, Diara and Kaniaga were left to operate under their own traditional rules and were only expected to pay annual tribute and contribute contingents or levies to the kings in times of war. As these conquered states and peoples were always anxious to regain their independence, the survival of the empire came to depend on the military strength of the central government and the ability of the reigning monarch. It follows, therefore, that if and that military power became weakened, the empire was bound to break up into its component parts. This, unfortunately, was what happened from the second half of the 11th century onwards owing first to an invasion by Berber warriors from the Mauritanian Sahara, and secondly to the rise of two strong new kingdoms to the south, first the Susu Kingdom and then the empire of Mali.

The Almoravids:
The Sanhaja Berbers, who started to invade Ghana after about 1050, were driven by troubles of their own, mainly over poverty, into attempting to get a share of the wealth of more prosperous neighbours. Soon after 1000 AD they began to look for a new means of livelihood.

The answer to their predicament was religion. A leader emerged within their society named Abdullah-Ibn Yasin who set up a religious teaching centre. These people were known as the Al-Murabethin or the Almoravids. Over time Abdullah-Ibn Yasin bought the Berber peoples of the western most lands under his authority as well as converting various rulers of the states they came into contact with as with the case of Futa Toro.

In 1056, moving northwards into Morocco, the Almoravids captured the important city of Sijilmasa, the main northern trading centre for West African gold. From there they went further to the north, conquering the rest of Morocco. Then they crossed the straits of Gibraltar, and took over Muslim Spain. A southern part of the Almoravids meanwhile moved south against the Empire of Ghana. Its leader, General Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar, put himself at the lead of the Berber Confederation, made an alliance with the people of Futa Toro and waged a long war against Ghana.

In 1054 Abubakr and his men took the city of Audoghast. In 1075 they declared a holy war, or jihad against Ghana. In 1076 after many battles, the Almoravids seized Koumbi Saleh which was the capital of the empire.

However, these Berber invaders could not hold the lands they had conquered. There were many revolts and much resistance. Abu Bakr was killed while attempting to suppress one of these in 1087. By this time, however, the Ghana Empire had more or less fallen apart. Although the people re-conquered their capital in 1087 and regained their independence, the earlier defeats inflicted on them by the Almoravids weakened them militarily. This military weakness gave he opportunity for states such as Futa Toro, Diara, Kaniage and Silla to seize their moment and achieved their independence. By the start of the 12th century , the ancient Ghana Empire had been reduced to is original metropolitan roots.

During the earlier conflicts with the Almoravids attention was diverted away from the land and agriculture and much of the land was laid waste. The caravan trade routes were also severely disrupted. These two essential components for the wealth of Ghana lead to its inevitable demise.

Fall:
The Metropolitan area saw a resurgence in power and splendour in the 1130's as it turned once again into a great commercial centre. This resurgence didn't stop the metropolitan area losing its independence once again and it soon lost its importance forcing the traders to migrate out and establish a new centre of commerce in Walata to the north east of Kumbi Saleh. This change was caused by a defeat inflicted by one of its former tributary states, Kaniaga. By 1200 Kaniaga had become a strong Suso kingdom. Its king, Sumanguru Kante, conquered Ghana in 1203 and reduced it to a vassal state. In 1240 the city was raised to the ground by an emerging empire called Mali.

I'm surprised smoothcrim is not here commenting

Modern Ghana was named after the original Ghana empire that was almost entirely unrelated. Kind of like Dahomey being renamed the Republic of Benin.

PhysicsQED: Modern Ghana was named after the original Ghana empire that was almost entirely unrelated. Kind of like Dahomey being renamed the Republic of Benin.

I have heard about this to, you are right

the Ghana empire is actually the malian empire built by madinka people
It has nothing to do with modern day Ghana,the country was named after this mandinka empire !
Ghana had the ashanti kingdom though

PhysicsQED: Modern Ghana was named after the original Ghana empire that was almost entirely unrelated. Kind of like Dahomey being renamed the Republic of Benin.

kengis: the Ghana empire is actually the malian empire built by madinka people
It has nothing to do with modern day Ghana,the country was named after this mandinka empire !
Ghana had the ashanti kingdom though

Not true. The Akan of Ghana and Ivory Coast have been confirmed by many historians, ethnolinguists and genetics to have come from the Ancient Ghana Empire. The cultures of the Ashanti king's court and Ghana emperor's court are too much alike to be a coincidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_people

kengis: the Ghana empire is actually the malian empire built by madinka people
It has nothing to do with modern day Ghana,the country was named after this mandinka empire !
Ghana had the ashanti kingdom though

My bad, it didn't even know the Ghana empire had nothing to do with the Akan people..

Black Kenichi:
Not true. The Akan of Ghana and Ivory Coast have been confirmed by many historians, ethnolinguists and genetics to have come from the Ancient Ghana Empire. The cultures of the Ashanti king's court and Ghana emperor's court are too much alike to be a coincidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_people

Dude. They're totally separate nations, peoples and cultures. Don't give me some wiki link because I've read about this in detail from better sources.


Are you part Ghanaian? You claimed to be from the Caribbean before, but the way you promote anything Ghanaian even to the point of straining credibility is unusual.

shymmex:

My bad, it didn't even know the Ghana empire had nothing to do with the Akan people..

It's okay ,bro !
By the way ,most of your thread are instructive

PhysicsQED:

Dude. They're totally separate nations, peoples and cultures. Don't give me some wiki link because I've read about this in detail from better sources.


Are you part Ghanaian? You claimed to be from the Caribbean before, but the way you promote anything Ghanaian even to the point of straining credibility is unusual.

lol i knew he wasn't jamaican.
glad someone else figured that out.

anyway shymmex and phys...please we need you guys on this thread..

https://www.nairaland.com/874386/bbcs-documentary-ancient-west-african#12687891

i want to learn about other west african kingdoms...even ancient north african ones. (prior to outside invasion).

*Kails*:


lol i knew he wasn't jamaican.
glad someone else figured that out.

anyway shymmex and phys...please we need you guys on this thread..

https://www.nairaland.com/874386/bbcs-documentary-ancient-west-african#12687891

i want to learn about other west african kingdoms...even ancient north african ones. (prior to outside invasion).

I most certainly am Jamaican! Most of what they're talking about is bulls**t.

Black Kenichi:

I most certainly am Jamaican! Most of what they're talking about is bulls**t.

hmmm....well u dont owe me any explanations.

Dude. They're totally separate nations, peoples and cultures. Don't give me some wiki link because I've read about this in detail from better sources.[img]http://www.forexchartingsoftware.info/pc.gif[/img]

shiyuyiu: Dude. They're totally separate nations, peoples and cultures. Don't give me some wiki link because I've read about this in detail from better sources.[img]http://www.forexchartingsoftware.info/pc.gif[/img]

Really!? Then show them!

shiyuyiu: Dude. They're totally separate nations, peoples and cultures. Don't give me some wiki link because I've read about this in detail from better sources.

^^^

Is this a bot? Or are you a real person? I was wondering why he copied half of my earlier response word for word, but then I looked through shiyuyiu's post history and some of his/her posting doesn't make any sense.

PhysicsQED:

^^^

Is this a bot? Or are you a real person? I was wondering why he copied half of my earlier response word for word, but then I looked through shiyuyiu's post history and some of his/her posting doesn't make any sense.

lol woooow....

lol i just checked out his posts...

#WEIRD!

what has Ghana done to these boko's sef.....smh!

black kenichi! don' mind dem bruh, even kails

otumfour: what has Ghana done to these boko's sef.....smh!

black kenichi! don' mind dem bruh, even kails

*Kails*:

<--- is Wht I meant to use

otumfour:

<--- is Wht I meant to use

lol oh ok

Thanks op.