The Kingdom of Kush, located south of Egypt along the Nile River, thrived from the 2nd millennium B.C. to the 4th century A.D. It was known for its trade routes, innovative craftsmanship, and abundant resources like gold. Despite its eventual collapse from external pressures, Kush left a lasting legacy in art, architecture, and trade. Continue reading Revisit: ANCIENT KUSH (2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. – 4TH CENTURY A.D.)
The city of Gao, situated near the north bend of the Niger River, served as the capital city of the Songhai state in West Africa from the 11th century until the fall of the Songhai Empire at the end of the 16th century. Gao emerged as a powerful and wealthy political center located along the trans-Saharan trade routes and was a center for Islamic study in the 15th and 16th centuries. Archaeological evidence, such as … Continue reading Revisit: GAO, WEST AFRICA (CA. 1450- )
From approximately 1000 to 1500 AD, a number of city-states on the eastern coast of Africa participated in an international trade network and became cosmopolitan Islamic cultural centers. The major autonomous, but symbiotic, city-states stretched over 1,500 miles from Mogadishu (in modern day Somalia) in the north to Sofala (in modern Mozambique) in the south and included Mombasa, Gedi, Pate, Lamu, Malindi, Zanzibar, and Kilwa. Each of these … Continue reading Revisit:EAST AFRICAN CITY STATES (1000-1500)
The Kanem-Bornu Empire was a large African state which existed from the 9th century through the end of the 19th century and which spanned a region which today includes the modern-day countries of Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria. The empire was founded by the Zaghawa nomadic people, who may have been the first in the central Sudan to acquire and make use of iron technology … Continue reading Revisit: EMPIRE OF KANEM-BORNU (CA. 9TH CENTURY-1900)
Black Art Story 