Developments In Africa
After that the chief of the poets mounts the steps of the pempi [a raised platform on which the ruler sits] and lays his head on the sultan’s lap, then
climbs to the top of the pempi and lays his head first on the sultan’s right shoulder and then on his left, speaking all the while in their tongue, and finally
he comes down again. I was told that this practice is a very old custom amongst them, prior to the introduction of Islam, and that they have kept it up.
—Ibn Battuta, c. 1352
Learning Objectives
- J: Explain how and why states in Africa developed and changed over time.
Ibn Battuta’s commentary on Mali society sheds light on the cultural forces at
work in Sub-Saharan Africa during the 14th century. A scholar from Morocco on the northwest coast of Africa, he was well versed in Islamic law, also known as shariah. Islamic governments in Mogadishu (east Africa) and Delhi (India) sought his advice and welcomed him to their lands. Ibn Battuta’s travelogue demonstrated how Islam’s phenomenal growth increased connections among cultures of Asia, Africa, and southern Europe. As Ibn Battuta’s account makes clear, African societies that had adopted Islam kept many of their traditions.
Some parts of Africa resisted Islam. To better defend themselves against attacks by Islamic forces, they built churches with labyrinths, reservoirs, and tunnels. Other parts of the continent, especially in the south, had little contact with Islam until later in history.
Sections
Political Structures in Inland Africa
Political Structures of West and East Africa
Social Structures of Sub-Saharan Africa
Cultural Life in Sub-Saharan Africa
Think As a Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: EXPLAIN THE HISTORICAL CONCEPT Of CONTINUITY
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Reflect
REFLECT ON THE TOPIC ESSENTIAL QUESTION
1. In one to three paragraphs, explain how and why states developed in Africa and changed over time.
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