AXUM
North East AFrica Historical Significance * Adopted christianity in the AD 300's *First Christian kingdom in world. *Important trade center among African, Arabia, and Southeastern Europe. Sites of Interest *Draws tourists into Ethiopia to visit its religious and historical sites. *Church of st. Mary of Zion, originally built in A.D. 300s *Lost Ark of the Covenant said to be housed in humble chapel of Axum Many of the fossils of the first early human ancestors found in modern Ethiopia Obelisks, or tapered pillars |
GHANA North West African Historical Significance * Important role in the gold/salt trade with other AFrican kingdoms and Arabian traders *King owned all gold nuggets; gold dust belonged to the people *Could raise an army of 200,000 soldiers *Made iron weapons * Christianity, Islam and traditional religions all part of heritage Sites of Interest *Villages preserve traditional arts such as kente cloth and wood carvings. *Natural Cultural Center also preserves art and cultural heritage. |
Mali
North West Africa Historical Significance * Based along the fertile lands near the Niger River. King Mansu Masa, a Muslim, transformed the kingdom as result of his hajj to Arabia. *Mansu Masa spread wealth across the continent and bought back scholars, architects, and goods. Kingdom established trade with Portuguese in the 1400's Sites of Interest * Home to three World Heritage Sites: Timbuktu, Djenne, and Bandiagara *Tourists come to visit traditional dogon villages although it disrupts life in the once remote communities. |
Songhai
North West Africa Historical Significance *Became the largest Sudan-based kingdoms *Developed multiple trade routes, north to south and east to west *Culture flourished under King Askia *Songhai scholars wrote books of Islamic law, history and dictionaries. Sites of Interest *Gao the capital of Songhai empire *Tomb of Askia Mohamed *Eco-tourism trips bring in money to the country |
Zimbabwe South East Africa Historical Significance *Kingdom economy based on cattle, gold and crops *Part of profitable Indian Ocean trade route *Acropolis or Hill Complex was an important religious center *Zimbabwe Bird, found in ancient sculputres, is a national symbol. *Built wall (Great Enclosure) 820 feet in circumference and up to 30 feet high -inside there was a 33 foot high conical tower Sites of Interest *National Parks -Zimbabwe's wildlife preserves) cover over 5000 square miles Ruins of Great Zimbabwe Great Enclosure ruins |