New
New
Year 7

New civilisations in the Sahel

I can explain why new civilisations, such as the Mali Empire, emerged across the Sahel.

New
New
Year 7

New civilisations in the Sahel

I can explain why new civilisations, such as the Mali Empire, emerged across the Sahel.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. New civilisations grew up in the Sahel as the Ghana Empire declined and trade increased.
  2. Trade from new gold fields bypassed the Ghana Empire, which made other kingdoms in the region wealthy and powerful.
  3. The Mali Empire was one new civilisation which expanded.
  4. The rulers of Mali and the people who lived in cities were generally followers of Islam.
  5. The people who lived in the countryside generally retained their traditional religious practices.

Keywords

  • Empire - a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people

  • Trade - exchange of goods

  • Mansa - the word used in the Mali Empire to refer to the king or emperor

  • Islam - the religion of Muslim people

Common misconception

All followers of the same religion practise their religion in the same way.

There are often large differences between followers of the same religion: people include elements of their own culture in their worship.

Introduce the idea of interpretations by asking students what their opinions about different sports teams or music genres are. Students will undoubtedly have different opinions which they can argue over. Explain that this can be done with past events, too.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the Sahel?
A river in West Africa.
The name given to a king's palace in West Africa.
Correct answer: A dry region bordering the southern Sahara Desert.
A rich salt mine in the Sahara Desert.
Q2.
How did the Carthaginian explorer Hanno first make contact with West Africa?
He walked across the Sahara Desert.
Correct answer: He sailed along the west coast of Africa.
He rode a horse through the Congo rainforest.
He rowed a boat down the Nile.
Q3.
Which religion spread into Africa in the 7th century?
Correct Answer: Islam, islam
Q4.
Which two of the following tribes acted as guides for travellers and traders journeying across the Sahara Desert?
Correct answer: Berber
Lakota
Nanman
Sami
Correct answer: Tuareg
Q5.
Complete the sentence: the Ghana Empire was nicknamed 'the land of '.
Correct Answer: gold, Gold
Q6.
Place these empires in chronological order.
1 - The Egyptian Empire
2 - The Roman Empire
3 - The Ghana Empire
4 - The British Empire

6 Questions

Q1.
What is 'desertification'?
Correct answer: The spread of a desert into formerly fertile land.
The creation of towns and cities in a desert.
The changing of desert land into grassland.
Deliberately destroying an enemy's farmlands so that nothing can grow there.
Q2.
Match the group to their description.
Correct Answer:Almoravids,a strict Islamic group

a strict Islamic group

Correct Answer:Ghana,first great empire of West Africa

first great empire of West Africa

Correct Answer:Sosso,ruled by a sorcerer king

ruled by a sorcerer king

Correct Answer:Mali,led by Sundiata Keita

led by Sundiata Keita

Q3.
What is the name given to the traditional belief system of people from West Africa?
Correct answer: Animism
Confucianism
Taoism
Zoroastrianism
Q4.
Complete the sentence: Sundiata Keita was nicknamed the ' Prince'.
Correct Answer: Lion, lion
Q5.
Match the keywords to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:empire,a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people

a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people

Correct Answer:trade,exchange of goods

exchange of goods

Correct Answer:Mansa,the word used in the Mali Empire to refer to the king or emperor

the word used in the Mali Empire to refer to the king or emperor

Correct Answer:Islam,the religion of Muslim people

the religion of Muslim people

Q6.
Which word best describes Ibn Battuta's reaction to seeing the Mansa taking part in non-Muslim rituals?
amused
Correct answer: appalled
excited
indifferent

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