Koumbi Saleh
Koumbi Saleh was the capital of the
Ghana Empire. It lies in what is now south east
Mauritania.
Koumbi Saleh dates back to the
third century CE, when its
Mandé founders and neighboring
Sanhaja Berbers controlled the trade routes between Koumbi Saleh,
Aoudaghost, and
Timbuctu. In the
seventh century, the
Ghana Empire rose to dominate the region, with Koumbi Saleh as its capital.
By the
eleventh century, it had a population of about 30,000, making it one of the largest on the continent. It consisted of two centres. The northern centre was known for its twelve
mosques, while the southern, known as
al-Ghala, was home to the royal
palace surrounded by a small, planned settlement. Residential
suburbs lay between the two centres. However, in 1076, the Sanhaja Berbers again moved south to the city, this time razing it, and with it, most of its documented records. As a result of this destruction, accounts of the city of Ghana as it were, are mainly those of Arab or Berber visitors and travellers.
In the early
thirteenth century, the
Sosso king
Soumaoro Kanté of the
Takrur region used the city as a base of operations for his army. The city was later abandoned, then rediscovered in 1913 and opened as an archeological site.
