How did Ghana and Mali become wealthy?

Similarities: Both Ghana and Mali grew enormously wealthy from trans-Saharan trade, particularly trade in gold and salt. While they did not conduct much trade themselves, they collected taxes and tribute from merchants who wished to cross their country.

How did Mali get its wealth?

Mali's great wealth came from gold and salt mines. The capital of the empire was Niani. Other important cities included Timbuktu, Gao, Djenne and Walata. The Mali Empire controlled important trade routes across the Sahara Desert to Europe and the Middle East.

What was the reason for Ghana's wealth and power?

Ghana's economic development and eventual wealth was linked to the growth of regular and intensified trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt and ivory, which enabled the development of larger urban centers and encouraged territorial expansion to gain control of various trade routes.

What was the trade between Ghana and Mali?

As these empires fell, so did the trade in gold. The historical sources for the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai are written Arabic sources. These sources have a bias against non-Islamic faiths. Many African griots or storytellers would pass on archaeological stories by word of mouth.

What was the wealth of the Mali Empire?

(Mossmaps / CC BY-SA 4.0) The wealth of the Mali Empire is most famously illustrated in the story of Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca. A contemporary Egyptian historian, al-Maqurizi, wrote that when Mansa Musa passed through Cairo, members of his entourage spent lavishly on the purchase of slave girls, singing girls, and clothing.

What did Ghana, Mali and Songhai have in common?

An intricate system of silent trade, transportation, safe passage for merchants, and control over a wide range of tribes facilitated the countries' success in trade. As these empires fell, so did the trade in gold. The historical sources for the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai are written Arabic sources.

Where are the gold mines in Mali?

Gold, the main source of Malian exports, is still mined in the southern region: at the end of the 20th century, Mali had the third highest gold production in Africa (after South Africa and Ghana).