Koumbi Saleh of the Ghana Empire

Timeline

1. c. 800–1000Koumbi Saleh · MauritaniaThe Ghana Empire established a twin-capital on the southern edge of the Sahel: a royal palace district (El-Ghaba) coexisted with a Muslim merchant quarter (Kumbi Saleh), forming a capital structure jointly governed by secular royal authority and the Islamic commercial community, and becoming the hub at the western end of trans-Saharan routes.
2. 1071–1080Koumbi Saleh · MauritaniaOn the eve of the Almoravid advance northward, Koumbi Saleh still controlled gold from the Wangara mining region being carried north along the Taghaza salt route; the city's population is recorded as reaching tens of thousands, with a flourishing palace district and mosque quarter, making it the most concentrated node of political and economic power in West Africa.
3. 1076–1100Koumbi Saleh · MauritaniaAlmoravid forces captured Koumbi Saleh; the Ghana Empire lost its capital and control of northern trade, and after the royal court moved south the capital gradually fell into ruin. Archaeological strata show that large-scale rebuilding ceased afterward, and the political center of West Africa began shifting toward Mali.