Ghana Empire

Timeline

1. c. 900–920Kumbi Saleh · SahelThe empire used its capital Kumbi Saleh as a hub, monopolizing the northward overland transport of southern gold and levying heavy taxes on gold in transit, forming West Africa's earliest large-scale political-commercial complex.
2. c. 920–960Awdaghast–Sijilmasa trade route · MauritaniaThe empire controlled oasis nodes such as Awdaghast through vassal chiefs and caravan agreements, incorporating North African salt and cloth and southern gold and ivory into a unified tribute and tariff system, with route security guaranteed by the royal army.
3. c. 960–1000Territory of the Ghana Empire · West AfricaIn the later 10th century North African Muslim merchants and scholars became increasingly active within the empire; the crown maintained traditional beliefs but tolerated Muslim communities, while nomadic powers on the Sahara's edge rose, posing persistent military pressure on the empire's frontiers.