Cultural, Economic, and Political Impact of Islam in West Africa from 1000 Ce to 1750 Ce.

...

out, this age of exploration does not last long, with the Songhai falling to the Moroccans just a few decades after the demise of the Mali.

A major cultural change arises in the form of the first jihad movement in West Africa, which was led by Muslim scholars. The ‘holy war’ begins in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the early 18th century. With the aim to rid the population of “pagan” practices and turn all the small Islamic colonies of West Africa into Islamic states, jihad movements continue to gain more and more momentum. This causes quite a disruption of cultural, specifically religious, practices. Despite this chaos that extends even beyond the 18th century, West Africa continues to prosper economically. Their main exports were comprised of precious metals, slaves, and large amounts of salt. Slaves were taken for both the purposes of Islamic slave trade and Trans Atlantic slave trade. This continuity proves to last well past 1750 and into the 19th century. Due to the influences of Islam, West Africa’s economy will continue to prosper.

To conclude, Islamic influence caused West Africa to experience several cultural, economic, and political changes and continuities between 1000 CE and 1750 CE, including the rise and fall of at least three major empires, the continuously prosperous trade network that resulted from the spread of Islam, and the integration of Islamic ideals into traditional West African culture. The lasting effects that Islam had on West Africa forever changed the economic, political, and cultural functions of the societies residing there.