Located north of the Niger River and south of the Sahara, a great African culture known as the kingdom of Ghana emerged in the sixth century CE by the Soninke. Many types of geographical features effected trade and land became flooded with gold. Resulting in the high demand for gold, the economy flourished and the powerful empire became wealthy. Trade routes provided a growth of population and the power of the new states emerged. Altogether, Ghana’s social structure, politics, and economy succeeded at one time. Numerous amounts of landforms effected the daily life of merchants who were on trade routes. For example, along the Mediterranean, people would take salt and trade it for gold, kola nuts, and ivory. Salt was used as a spice and a preservative to those commoners who lived in Ghana and did not have access to the sea around them. Caravans would take the items back to the village. Trade routes became an important part of this culture and soon made the economy thrive. Around 800 CE, the Golden Age was booming. Gold was being traded with merchants from all over the continent. The trade routes grew and population increased. Because of this dramatic population increase, a city known as Kumbi came to be. Kumbi was said to be the…show more content… The Berber merchants were on a mission to conquer their control. In the middle of the eleventh century CE, the Almoravid dynasty of Morocco constructed a unity of the Berber merchants. This created an organization ready to fight for what the believed was right. In 1076 CE, they took over Kumbi and it was conquered. Ghana tried fighting and preventing damage, but the damage was already done. All the networks of trade became defeated, too. Over the decades, Ghana continued to decline and people broke free from the kingdom’s control. In 1203 CE, the Susu took over Kumbi and by 1240 CE, the kingdom collapsed and was destroyed by the Empire of
