Civilizations & archaeology

Ghana Empire

from 100 CE to 1200

The Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadou, was a West African state that flourished between the Sahara and the Sahel, in what is now southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. It was dominated by the Soninke people and grew rich by controlling the trade that carried gold from the south and salt and other goods from the Sahara. Its capital is traditionally identified with Koumbi Saleh, and Arab geographers such as al-Bakri described a wealthy king and a thriving court. The empire is not related to the modern country of Ghana, which took the name in 1957 in its honour. It declined during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and its collapse is variously blamed on Almoravid pressure, drought and rising rival states, a question historians still debate.

Open on the timeline

Before and after

More in Civilizations & archaeology

The era

This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century.