Kingdom of Ghana

The gold-salt trade was the primary economic engine of the Kingdom of Ghana, facilitating immense wealth through taxation and exchange. Arab and Berber traders would cross the Sahara Desert bringing salt to trade for abundant West African gold. This lucrative trade network was extensively documented by the 11th-century Arab geographer and historian al-Bakri.

The Soninke people were the founding ethnic group and ruling class of the Wagadu Empire, which is traditionally known by historians as the Kingdom of Ghana. They established their capital at Koumbi Saleh and dominated the regional trans-Saharan trade routes. Their society was highly structured, allowing them to control vast territories spanning modern-day Mali and Mauritania.

The Kingdom of Ghana began to collapse in the mid-11th century, largely due to invasions from the Almoravid dynasty. The empire was eventually absorbed into the rising Mali Empire in the 13th century. Environmental changes and the shifting of trade routes further contributed to the loss of their regional dominance.

The historical capital of the Kingdom of Ghana was Koumbi Saleh, located in present-day southeastern Mauritania. Archaeological evidence suggests it was a sprawling city divided into a Muslim merchant quarter and a royal compound. Al-Bakri wrote detailed accounts about the grandeur and layout of this city in the 11th century.