Sahelian kingdoms

The Sahelian kingdoms were powerful states in the Sahel, the grassy lands south of the Sahara. They grew up from the 8th century until the 19th century. These kingdoms became very rich by controlling important trade routes across the desert.

Because they had many fast pack animals such as camels and horses, they could manage large areas and protect themselves well.

Even though these kingdoms were big, they were not always tightly controlled. Many cities could make their own decisions and rules. The Sahelian kingdoms could not move far south into the thick forest zone where people like the Bono and Yoruba lived. This was because the horses and camels could not survive there, and warriors on horseback could not fight well in the forests.

Economy

The Sahelian kingdoms had large cities and many towns, along with areas where people lived more spread out. People in these places grew crops, raised animals, hunted, fished, and made things like metal tools, clothes, and pottery. They traveled along rivers and lakes, traded goods both nearby and far away, and even had their own money to use for trading.

History of Sahel kingdoms

The Sahelian kingdoms were strong states that grew in the grasslands south of the Sahara Desert, from about the 8th century to the 19th century. They became rich by controlling important trade routes across the desert.

The first big kingdom was the Ghana Empire, which began around the 3rd century in parts of modern-day Senegal and Mauritania. Ghana grew wealthy from trade, especially after camels were introduced, making travel easier. Later, the Mali Empire became powerful, reaching its height in the 1350s along the Niger River. The largest of these kingdoms was the Songhai Empire, which grew quickly under King Sonni Ali in the 1460s and stretched from Cameroon to the Maghreb. Far to the east, near Lake Chad, the Kanem-Bornu state also became very important. In 1810, the Sokoto Caliphate emerged, conquering the nearby Hausa city-states and forming a larger, more organized state.

Maps

African states between 500 BCE and 1500 CE

The main slave trade routes in Africa during the Middle Ages.

Trade routes of the western Saharan Desert, c. 1000–1500. Goldfields are shown in light brown.

The Ghana Empire at its greatest size, c. 1050

The areas that came after the Ghana Empire c. 1200

Influence of the Kanem Empire c. 1200

How far the Mali Empire reached, c. 1350

Rough size of the Mali Empire next to the Songhai Empire, c. 1350

Parts of the Wolof Empire.

Parts of the Wolof Empire, c. 1400

Carte des peuplades du Sénégal de l'abbé Boilat (1853): a map of Senegal at the time of French rule. The old states of Baol, Sine and Saloum are along the southwest coast, with the inland areas marked "Peuple Sérère".

The Songhai Empire, c. 1500

Bornu Empire land by 1500

The Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire and Mossi kingdoms, 1530

Map of the Pashalik of Timbuktu (yellow-striped) as part of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco (outlined black) inside the Songhai Empire (outlined red), c. 1591

The Mali Empire and nearby lands, c. 1625

Senegambia, c. 1707. Waalo marked as Re. D'Oualle in the upper left.

Bornu Empire and eastern Sahelian kingdoms, c. 1750

The size of the Bornu Empire, c. 1750

Shilluk Kingdom (yellow) and its neighbors, c. 1800

Bornu Empire in 1810

The Fulani Jihad States of West Africa, c. 1830

Sokoto Caliphate, 19th century

French West Africa (in green) after World War II, and other French lands (in dark grey).

Major slave trading places in West Africa, 15th–19th centuries

A picture of the common idea of the triangular trade.

A picture of the trade of slaves, sugar, and rum with New England instead of Europe as the third part.