Answer key

Subject: - UAE Social Studies

Unit 3 Lesson 4: West African Islamic Civilization Grade: 8

Learning Objectives:
❑ Describe the ancient kingdoms of Mali, Islamic cities and civilizations in West Africa.
❑ Examine the contributions of ancient African kingdoms to human history.

A. Name the following:

1. The Great Mosque of Timbuktu. Djingarey Ber

2. The king of Mali, who went to the Hajj in Mecca and brought back a famous architect to design
the great mosque of Timbuktu. Mansa Musa
3. The legendary king who established the kingdom of Mali. Mari Jata (Sunjata)
4. A famous traveller, who wrote about his visit to the cities of West Africa. Ibn Battuta
5. A city which became wealthy from the gold trade of the 14th century. Timbuktu

B. Fill in the gaps of the sentences with the keywords listed in the box.

One of the most famous rulers of the Malian and _________________Empire was ____________.
He led a caravan across the Sahara to Cairo and to Mecca to make his pilgrimage or hajj. The famous
city of ___________ in Mali has a great _______________ of manuscripts where Arabic books and
Korans are preserved for scholars to study. ___________________________is a major achievement
of Timbuktu. The city of _____________________________________ is located in the Niger River
Delta and features many _______________________________ made of traditional mud architecture.

C. Answer the following questions: (To be done in the notebook)

1. With the help of a timeline, list the progression of Islam across Africa from 7th to 14th century.
Ans: 7th and 8th Centuries- Islam spread to Egypt and across North Africa from 685 CE to 715
CE. Across the Sahara to the Sahel, Islam spread through merchant contacts and long-distance
caravan routes to Arab Muslim cities of northern Africa.
1
 11th Century- By the 11th century, Islam reached the Senegalese coastal region and vast areas of
the Sahel across to Sudan.
13th and 14th Century- Well-established cities in the Sahel and Mali had large Muslim
institutions. Mosques at Timbuktu and other cities in Mali reflect this development. Cities in the
Sahel prospered as West African cities and kingdoms prospered from trade in gold, salt, and other
metal wares produced in the region.
2. Write a brief note on the legendary king of Mali, Mansa Musa.
Ans: Mansa Musa was the nephew of Mari Jata (Sunjata), the legendary king who established the
kingdom of Mali. Mansa Musa was famous for his long caravan expedition across the Sahara to
Cairo, where he took with him vast amounts of gold from the rich gold fields of West Africa.
Mansa Musa went to Hajj in Mecca and brought back a famous architect to design the mosque.

3. Mali is a kingdom located in which region of Africa?

Ans: Western Africa in the Sahel region along the Niger River.

4. What are the materials used to construct houses in Djenne and how did they maintain them?
Ans: Its traditional large mosques made use of the local materials of mud from the nearby river.
Each year these traditional mosques are refreshed. With a community effort, teams of builders
bring fresh mud plaster to reinforce the walls of the structure.

Reflective Log: (To be done in the notebook)

I learnt ………………………
I wish to learn ……………….