Question
According to Ibn Battuta, the houses of the city of Taoudenni were blocks of this material covered with camel skins. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this mineral traded for gold in West Africa because of its food flavoring and preservation abilities.
ANSWER: table salt [accept sodium chloride or NaCl]
[10h] This empire dominated the Saharan salt trade in the 900s CE thanks to its control of the Taghaza mines. Al-Bakri visited this empire’s capital of Koumbi Saleh, which was located in modern-day Mauritania.
ANSWER: Ghana Empire [or Wagadou; or Ankar]
[10m] Ghana’s salt trade was inherited by the Sosso empire, whose king Sumunguru (“soo-muhn-GOO-roo”) was defeated by this ruler with a poisoned arrow. An oral epic named for this ruler relates how he became the first Mansa of the Mali empire.
ANSWER: Sundiata Keita [or Sunjata; or Sonjara; or Manding Diara; or Sogolon Djata; or Nare Maghan; or Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba; prompt on Keita]
<Ganon Evans, History - World - African> ~20396~ <Editor: Jordan Brownstein>