Wangara
Wangara was located in the West African savanna, an area of short grasses, shrubs, and trees. The cities and villages there supplied one another with the food and products they needed. The people believed that a supreme god had created the world and all things in it. Smaller, less powerful gods and spirits were also present in the world and could help or hurt people. In the Middle Ages the people of Wangara had something nearly everyone wanted. They had gold, a very valuable mineral. The gold of West Africa was mined from the ground, sifted from rivers, and gathered from numerous secret locations. In Wangara, the gold initially held little importance on its own. It was only when traders arrived, willing to trade other goods, such as salt for the gold that it gained value. Eventually, tradition became that all gold nuggets belonged to the King, leaving the gold dust for the trade. Wangara lacked the organization and access to trade routes to develop as a major trading city on its own. Instead, it supplied gold to traders who brought it to larger cities, such as Gao. There, gold was purchased by artisans who crafted it into jewelry or shaped it into ornamental statues. Other times, the gold remained as gold dust and continued further north and east on trade routes, winding up in Egypt, Europe, or the Middle East. Traders insisted that only spoons be used to handle gold dust, never a person's fingers, so that no dust would remain on a buyer's fingertips or under his fingernails by mistake.
Taghaza
Taghaza was situated far south of the Maghreb (Muslim North Africa), reportedly a 20-day journey from the nearest civilization. Despite its isolation, Taghaza thrived during the Middle Ages as a key link in the trading networks of the kingdoms of Ghana, then Mali, and finally Songhai. Taghaza was a town that developed for one reason: salt. Salt flats surrounded the town for miles.
This land was part of the Sahara Desert and nearly barren of all vegetation. The only thing Taghaza had of value was salt, and they had plenty of it. Salt was so common that the people of Taghaza even built their homes from large salt blocks. The Persian geographer al Qazwini wrote that the town’s ramparts, walls and roofs of its buildings were all made of salt mined by slaves of the Masufa, a Berber tribe, and exported to along Trans Saharan Trade Routes by a caravan that came once a year. Many of the people in Taghaza were enslaved, captured during wars and forced to work in the salt mines. The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta visited Taghaza in 1352 and reported that the enslaved salt miners lived on dates imported from the Dar'a valley, camel meat, and millet imported from the Sudan. Although common in Taghaza, salt was rare in other parts of Africa. Salt was used for more than just seasoning food. It was also used to preserve fish and meat that could then be traded to cities and villages many miles away. Salt was also used in the production of dyes for coloring cloth, in soap, and in medicines. Without this necessary ingredient, many of Africa’s trade goods could not be produced. A thriving salt trade developed between Taghaza and lands to the south. Salt was cut into slabs weighing over 60 lbs. and then loaded onto camels. These were taken to Wangara, Gao, and other kingdoms that needed the valuable resource.
Tunis
Tunis was originally a Berber settlement, located on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on the North African coast. The city was conquered by the Umayyad Dynasty at the end of the 7th century. The Hafsid Dynasty, a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descent came to rule Tunis and the surrounding region from 1229 to 1574.
During this time, Tunis was rich in agriculture and trade. Tunis became the Hafsid Dynasty capital due to its position on the coast as a port linking the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Merchants from Europe were given small enclaves in the city, promoting trans-Mediterranean trade north to Italy and east to Cairo. The Hafsids had a large stake in trans-Saharan trade through the caravan routes that reached Tunis from Taghaza, Gao, Timbuktu, and further on to sub-Saharan Africa. Tunis exported grain, dates, olive oil, wool and leather, wax, coral, salt fish, cloth, and woven carpets. Imports included cabinet work, wine, perfumes, spices, medical plants, hemp, linen, silk, glass ware, metals, hardware, and jewels. A city official called the muhtasib oversaw Tunis’ marketplace. The muhtasib enforced fair trading, including merchants truthfully quoting the local price to rural people, ensuring honest weights and measures, etc. Tunis during this time was one of the richest and grandest cities in the Islamic world, with a population of about 100,000. The Tunisian population also became advanced academically as a home to famous university mosques.
Cairo
In ancient times, the city of Memphis was the capital of Egypt and held a strategic location just upstream from the Nile Delta. The Romans established a fortress outside Memphis known as Babylon. This was built along the east bank of the Nile River and eventually developed into the city of Cairo, which was founded in 969 during the Fatimid dynasty.
Cairo had become the capital of Egypt in 1168 and expanded over the following centuries. As it grew, trade goods and travelers flowed in and out of Cairo constantly. Silks from Persia, olive oil from Greece, gold from Great Zimbabwe, Indian cotton, and Chinese porcelain could all be bought in the Cairo marketplace. Ideally suited for trade on the Nile River, goods could easily be shipped up and down the Nile or across the Mediterranean Sea. Goods were also transported east to the Red Sea and then south to Swahili civilizations along the East African coast.
Egyptian artisans, craftsmen, and farmers all contributed to the variety of goods that could be purchased in Cairo. Papyrus scrolls for writing, woven cotton cloth, fish, bread, jewelry, meats, horses, and weapons could all be found in the extensive marketplaces of this city. By 1340, Cairo had a population of close to half a million, making it the largest city west of China. Cairo became a center for Islamic learning and mosques and schools were found throughout the city. Cairo was devastated by the Black Death in the Middle Ages, which struck the city more than 50 times between 1348 and 1517. During its most deadly outbreaks, more than 200,000 people were killed by the plague. The city's status was further diminished after Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route around the Cape of Good Hope between 1497 and 1499, thereby allowing spice traders to avoid Cairo.
Gao
Gao was a major trading city in the Middle Ages because of its location. It was located on the upper bend of the Niger River in West Africa. Goods from the south could easily be taken upstream to Gao and sold in the busy markets of the city as well as many other villages up and down the river.
Trade routes from every direction traveled through Gao, making it a place to purchase goods from throughout Africa. Salt was brought from Taghaza’s mines to the north, gold from Wangara to the west, ivory from the east, and silks and horses from Tunis to the north. Although located on the Niger River, much of the land surrounding Gao was scrubland with short grasses and only a scattering of trees. Through elaborate irrigation techniques, the people of Gao were able to grow all the grain, fruits, and vegetables they needed. A surplus of agricultural goods meant that people were drawn to Gao’s markets for trade. Most of the people of Gao followed local traditional religions that included beliefs in a spiritual world that could be seen in the things of nature, such as rivers, mountains, and animals. One of the most important goods Gao sold to traders were kola nuts. These nuts came from the rainforest regions south of Gao. These nuts were used for a variety of purposes. The oil of the kola nut was a key ingredient in cooking as well as in making shea butter that was used as a medicine and in cosmetics. The kola nut also became a symbol of hospitality in many parts of Africa and was served to visitors to the region. The caffeine in kola nuts made it a mildly addictive food whose popularity grew quickly among people it was introduced to.
Kingdom of Kano
Kano was located between Lake Chad and the Niger River. The lands grew plenty of food and cotton. Kano was famous for its dyed cotton cloth. It was considered to be some of the finest cotton cloth in all of Africa and Europe. This cloth became the key to Kano's prosperity as a trading city.
Traders travelled to and from Kano buying and selling cotton cloth as well as many other goods. Kano's trade routes went mostly north and northwest towards the Niger River which carried goods to cities like Gao and Timbuktu.
To the south of Kano were rainforest lands. There was not as much trade or contact with the people in these lands because of a deadly insect: the tsetse fly. This disease-carrying fly inhabited these lands and made extensive trade nearly impossible. Horses or cattle could not carry supplies through the forests since they would die from tsetse fly infections. Humans also suffered from the deadly disease the fly carried and mostly stayed away from these areas. A tall and strong wall made of wooden beams and baked clay surrounded the city of Kano, protecting it from attacks. Homes inside the city were made of the same materials. For centuries, the people of Kano followed traditional local African religions. They believed that honoring your ancestors could help during times of trouble. However, its king Ali Yaji made Islam the state religion in the 1350s. Kano from then on became an Islamic sultanate and its leaders took on the title of Sultan. The size and splendor of the city impressed its many visitors, but also made Kano a target for conquering armies. Around 1500, the armies of the Songhai Empire conquered the city and added Kano to their empire. Kano's wealth declined after it was forced to pay a third of its profits to the Songhai ruler each year.
Kilwa Kisiwani
Kilwa Kisiwani is an island just south of the equator off the east coast of Africa on the Indian Ocean. The island is 14 miles in circumference with a total land of 4.6 sq miles. The town of Kilwa on the island started out as a small fishing village, but eventually grew to be a major trading city of East Africa and one of the most powerful Swahili settlements along the East African coast.
When the Islamic empire of the Middle East extended their lands through conquest to include Egypt and North Africa, Muslim traders were able to trade further than ever before down the coast of Africa. These traders found many products and goods to purchase in the villages along the coast.
Gold, ivory, and copper could be obtained here and in coastal cities and then sailed north to Cairo and on to locations in the Mediterranean and Middle East. These traders also brought their Islamic beliefs to these coastal cities. By 1300, Kilwa, like many of the cities along Africa’s east coast, was predominantly Islamic. Kilwa's houses reflected Islamic styles by being built with flat roofs, gardens, and porches. Muslim traders also brought improved sailing technology to East Africa. Their ships enabled Kilwa’s traders to travel east across the Indian Ocean to India. In India, Kilwa’s traders bought goods such as fabrics, gems, and rare spices. Some of these goods were from China and other lands in Asia. These valuable resources were then brought back to Kilwa to be purchased by other traders who brought them north to Egypt, the Middle East, and Europe. Kilwa, and other coastal cities like Mombasa and Sofala, became key links in a thriving Indian-African trade network.
Great Zimbabwe
In the 1300's, the Zimbabwe civilization developed in southern Africa. Great Zimbabwe was the largest of several cities in this area. The city was famous for its huge round stone buildings. Carved birds decorated its temples. The climate of southern Africa was very different from the climate of north and West Africa. Rain was more predictable and temperatures less extreme, allowing vegetation to grow more abundantly. The savanna grew thicker, longer grasses and more trees across the land. The land was perfect for raising large herds of cattle.
Although cattle were abundant, it was another resource that would most interest traders from the east: gold. Great Zimbabwe obtained gold from people living further west and south of their city. These people mined the gold from deep within the ground. A single family often worked the same mine for generations. The gold was sold to traders from Great Zimbabwe who had the resources needed to take the gold further east to cities like Kilwa, off Africa’s Indian Ocean coast. Great Zimbabwe's isolated location far from major trading routes prevented it from becoming a major center of trade like Gao or Cairo. Despite the distance, the wealthy people of Great Zimbabwe were able to obtain trade goods from far off places. Porcelain from China and Syria, as well as glass beads from India have been found in its ruins proving Great Zimbabwe had the wealth to obtain such exotic goods.