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Description of  The Songhai Empire: A Captivating Guide to One of the Largest States of Medieval West Africa

Discover the Songhai Empire, the last West African medieval kingdom to flourish before the transatlantic slave trade began. As the world progressed through medieval times, great empires rose and fell across Europe and Africa. However, in the 15th century, trans-oceanic voyages were allowing imperialism to reach distant shores. This new form of control became rampant, and untamed capitalism put the slave trade at its core. During this time in West Africa, a mighty empire was reaching its zenith. The Songhai Empire built on the power of the trans-Saharan trade routes like its predecessors, the Ghana and Mali Empires. In fact, the Songhai Empire became the greatest kingdom West Africa had ever seen. With the advent and spread of Islam across North and West Africa from the 8th to the 13th centuries, as well as the reintroduction of the camel, Songhai was ideally poised to maximize the riches that came from trade, culture, and intellectualism, which the sandy roads brought to their door. In this book, you will learn: Read more