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The Empires of the Western Sudan: Ghana Empire

Ghana (Wagadu), the earliest known empire of the western Sudan, first entered the historical consciousness of North Africa near the end of the eighth century but probably originated long before. The empire's legacy is still celebrated in the name of the Republic of Ghana; apart from this, however, modern-day and ancient Ghana share no direct historical connections. Despite early texts that discuss ancient Ghana, such as The Book of Routes and Kingdoms by the eleventh-century Andalusian geographer Abu ^cUbayd al-Bakri, it remains very much an enigma. Famous to North Africans as the "Land of Gold," Ghana was said to possess sophisticated methods of administration and taxation, large armies, and a monopoly over notoriously well-concealed gold mines. The king of the Soninke people who founded Ghana never fully embraced Islam, but good relations with Muslim traders were fostered. Ghana's preeminence faded toward the end of the eleventh century, when its power was broken by a long struggle with the Almoravids led by Abdullah ibn Yasin. Ghana subsequently fell to the expanding Soso kingdom.



Modern-day and ancient Ghana share no direct historical connections.

Related

Timelines (4)

• Western and Central Sudan, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Western and Central Sudan, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Western and Central Sudan, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Western Sudan, 500–1000 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (5)

• The Empires of the Western Sudan
• The Empires of the Western Sudan: Mali Empire
• The Empires of the Western Sudan: Songhai Empire
• The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade (7th–14th century)
• Trade and the Spread of Islam in Africa

Other Thematic Essays (2)

• The Art of the Almoravid and Almohad Periods (ca. 1062–1269)
• Ways of Recording African History

Maps (2)

• Africa, 500-1000 A.D.
• World, 500-1000 A.D.

Index Terms (6)

Art Movement/Style

• Akan Peoples of Western Africa
• Ghanaian Art of Western Africa

Geography/Place

• Western and Central Sudan
• Islamic World

Subject Matter/Theme

• Islam
• Trade (500–1000 a.d.)

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Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of AAOA. "The Empires of the Western Sudan: Ghana Empire". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ghan/hd_ghan.htm (October 2000) Further Reading Prussin, Labelle Hatumere: Islamic Design in West Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)