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Chapter 10 Vocab
African Kingdoms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Sahel | a semiarid strip of land across the center of Africa that divides the Sahara from wetter areas |
savanna | open grassland |
griots | professional West African storytellers |
Nok | on of the earliest African peoples to make iron tools, the Nok lived in what is today Nigeria |
Bantu | a family of closely related African languages; one of the many African peoples who speak that language |
Ezana | Aksumite ruler; he destroyed the Kush capital of Meroe and took over the kingdom of Kush around AD 320 |
Ge'ez | an ancient Afro-Asiatic language; it is still used today as a liturgical language in the Ethiopian Coptic Church |
Lalibela | Ethiopian ruler from about 1200 to 1250; he is known for building large stone Christian churches, many of which are still standing today |
Swahili | An African society that emerged in the late 1100s along the East African coast and combined elements of African, Asian and Islamic cultures |
Sundiata | founder and ruler of Mali; he organized an army and defeated the other kingdoms of West Africa |
Mansa Musa | Leader of Mali who held power from 1307 to 1332; he conquered the kingdom of Songhai, He expanded trade, supported the arts, and promoted Islam. |
Sunni Ali | first great leader of Africa's Songhai Empire; he organized an uprising against Malian rule and established a new empire in Songhai |
Askia Muhammad | King of Songhai from 1493 to 1598; he was known for encouraging a revival of Muslim learning in the West African Kingdom during his rule |