Africa and Asia in the post-classical era
Between about 600 and 1500, powerful kingdoms and trade networks flourished across Africa and Asia, including the largest land empire in history.
West African empires
Trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt, carried by camel caravans, enriched West African empires. Ghana (about 300-1100) controlled gold trade routes. Mali (about 1235-1600) was founded by Sundiata Keita. Its ruler Mansa Musa made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, spending so much gold in Cairo that he reportedly depressed its value. Timbuktu became a centre of Islamic scholarship.
Songhai and East Africa
The Songhai Empire succeeded Mali and was one of the largest African empires in the 1400s-1500s. On the East African coast, Swahili city-states such as Kilwa and Mombasa traded gold, ivory, and other goods across the Indian Ocean, blending African, Arab, and Persian cultures; Swahili is a Bantu language with many Arabic loanwords.
Great Zimbabwe and Ethiopia
Great Zimbabwe, a stone city in southern Africa flourishing around 1100-1450, was a centre of gold trade, with massive dry-stone walls. In Ethiopia, the Christian kingdom of Aksum had earlier been a major trading power; later Ethiopian rulers built rock-hewn churches at Lalibela in the 1100s-1200s.
Tang and Song China
The Tang dynasty (618-907) expanded China's influence and made Chang'an a cosmopolitan capital. The Song dynasty (960-1279) saw major innovations: movable type printing, gunpowder weapons, the magnetic compass for navigation, and paper money. Rice cultivation expanded, and China may have been the world's most populous and urbanised society.
The Mongol Empire
Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes in 1206 and launched conquests that created the largest contiguous land empire in history, stretching from Korea to Eastern Europe. Mongol rule, though brutal in conquest, protected Silk Road trade (the 'Pax Mongolica') and allowed travellers such as Marco Polo to cross Eurasia. Kublai Khan founded the Yuan dynasty in China.
The Black Death
Trade routes also spread disease. The Black Death, bubonic plague, likely spreading from Central Asia, reached Europe in 1347 and killed perhaps a third to a half of Europe's population within a few years; it also devastated the Middle East and North Africa. Labour shortages afterward weakened serfdom in Western Europe.
Japan and Korea
Japan adopted Chinese writing, Buddhism, and some political ideas but developed distinct traditions. From 1185, military rulers called shoguns held real power, supported by samurai warriors bound by codes of loyalty. Korea's Joseon dynasty (1392-1897) created the Hangul alphabet in the 1440s under King Sejong, making literacy far easier.
Worked example
Mansa Musa's 1324 pilgrimage shows West Africa's place in the world. Travelling with a huge caravan and large quantities of gold, he gave lavish gifts in Cairo, impressing observers, and returned with scholars and architects who helped make Timbuktu a centre of learning. European maps soon depicted him holding a gold nugget, showing Mali's fame.
Key takeaways
Trans-Saharan gold and salt trade enriched Ghana, Mali, and Songhai; Mansa Musa's pilgrimage displayed Mali's wealth; Timbuktu was a centre of learning. Swahili city-states linked East Africa to the Indian Ocean. Great Zimbabwe and Ethiopia had impressive monuments. Tang and Song China innovated printing, gunpowder, the compass, and paper money. The Mongols built the largest land empire and protected trade. The Black Death killed a third to a half of Europe. Japan had shoguns and samurai; Korea created Hangul.
Flashcard
Gold and salt by camel caravan
Check your understanding
What made the empires of Ghana and Mali so wealthy?