Episode Details

The history of Islam in North Africa, Arabia, Iraq and the Levant is generally well known, and the great dynasties of these regions—such as the Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, and Ayyubid dynasty—are readily recognised in both world and Muslim history. Yet far less attention is given to the Muslim rulerships of Bilad al-Sudan, the vast belt of lands stretching south of the Sahara Desert. Between the 11th and 16th centuries this region became one of the great zones of Islamic civilization, where powerful empires such as the Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, and Songhai Empire flourished along the trade routes of the Sahel. Muslim geographers and travellers including Al-Bakri, Al-Idrisi, and Ibn Battuta left rich accounts describing these kingdoms, their scholars, and their vibrant Islamic societies.