CHAPTERS 14 Answers to Chapters 14 worksheet

14.2 ~ THE SPREAD OF ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA

1. How did the Islamic religion reach West Africa? What brought Islam to this region?

The Islamic religion reached West Africa because of the trans-Saharan trade.

Missionaries and Muslim traders brought Islam to this region.

2. WHICH NORTHERN MUSLIM GROUP CAUSED THE ISLAMIC RELIGION TO SPREAD MORE THROUGHOUT GHANA?

The Almoravids conquered Ghana is this helped spread the Islamic religion.

3. WHO WAS MANSA MUSA AND WHY WAS HE IMPORTANT TO THE ISLAMIC RELIGION?

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire which was now in the location of Ghana.

Mansa Musa was a Muslim so Mali became the major crossroad of the Islamic world.

He was the first West African ruler to practice Islam.

4. LIST SOME OF MANSA MUSA’S ITEMS THAT HE BROUGHT ON THE HAJJ TO MAKKAH. WHY DO YOU THINK HE BROUGHT ALL OF

THESE LUXURIOUS GOODS?

He brought 500 slaves, 200 camels, 30,000 pound of gold, clothing, food and supplies.

Mansa Musa knew that people in Arabia would be impressed by all of these luxurious goods so they would continue to trade with Mali.

5. WHY DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE OF ARABIA BOWED TO MANSA MUSA AS HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO MAKKAH?

In the eyes of the Arabian people, Mansa Musa was a Muslim ruler in another area who had great wealth.

6. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SONGHAI’S EMPIRE.

The Songhai empire took over after the Mali empire declined. At first, the empire wasn’t serious about the Islamic religion until a Muslim ruler took the throne.

14.3 ~ NEW RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

1. Describe the festival of Eid al-Fitr.

Eid a-Fitr is the last day of Ramadan. It is a Muslim religious festival that takes after a main event in Abraham’s life.

2. LIST SOME OF THE WEST AFRICANS RITUALS THEY STILL KEPT EVEN THOUGH THEY PRACTICED ISLAM.

West Africans still practiced the following:

Show respect for the spirits of dead ancestors.

Use of amulets or charms that they believed would help someone in need from harm.

3. WHY WAS IBN BATTUTA UPSET ABOUT SOME OF THE WEST AFRICAN RITUALS?

Ibn Battuta was upset because the women of West Africa went unclothed in public, West African Muslims throwing dust over the head.

14.4 ~ NEW IDEAS ABOUT GOVERNMENT

AND LAW

1. EXPLAIN THE NEW LINE OF SUCCESSION IN WEST AFRICA.

West Africa used to be matrilineal, but under Muslim rule, it had to be patrilineal which means that when a ruler dies...succession is passed down from father to son.

2. HOW DID THE ADOPTION OF A NEW STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM GOVERNMENT AFFECT WEST AFRICAN KINGS?

The West African government became more centralized which means the West African kings had more control over the local rulers.

3. WHAT IS SHARI’AH AND HOW DID THIS AFFECT WEST AFRICA?

Shari’ah is Islamic law and this meant that the laws of Africa which may/may not have been written down, now has to be recorded and followed through the same way in each region.

14.5 ~ A NEW EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION

1. WHAT WAS TIMBUKTU?

Timbuktu was a learning center within West Africa.

It became famous for its Islamic scholars because it housed many universities.

2. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE AREAS OF STUDY THAT WERE OFFERED AT TIMBUKTU?

Some of the areas that were studied in Timbuktu were:

Qur’an, Islamic studies, law, literature.

Advancement in studies included:

medicine, surgery, astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, geography, art or history.

14.6 ~ A NEW LANGUAGE

1. WHAT WAS AN ADVANTAGE OF WEST AFRICANS LEARNING ARABIC?

After West Africans learned Arabic, it opened up an avenue for easier trade markets because everyone spoke the same language.

14.7 ~ NEW ARCHITECTURAL

STYLES

1. WHAT WAS THE MAIN PURPOSE OF HAVING BEAMS PROJECTING OUT OF MOSQUES IN WEST AFRICA?

When a building needed work to be done, these beams allowed for easier repairs. They became known as the building’s scaffolding.

14.8 ~ NEW ARCHITECTURAL

STYLES

1. WHY WERE GEOMETRIC PATTERNS IMPORTANT IN WEST AFRICA?

Since Muslims could not draw living things (animals or people), geometric patterns were used as a means to decorate objects.