Boqonnaa 5 Seenaa kutaa 11

The chapter says that 'Mamluke' is an Arabic word meaning 'owned' or 'slave'. The Mamluks were first brought to Egypt as Turkish slaves, and later they rose to power as soldiers.

The chapter says that Kumbi Saleh was the political centre of Ghana. Awdaghust was Ghana's economic hub, so it is a different kind of centre. Gao and Njimi belong to other states.

The chapter lists Somali, Amharic and Afan Oromo as examples of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Remember this family when you revise the four language families of Africa.

The chapter says that the word Zimbabwe comes from a Bantu-based word that means 'stone house'. This is why the stone walls and palaces of Great Zimbabwe are important to remember.

The chapter says that in 1324, Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca and carried a huge amount of gold. The other years are linked to other events: 1230 is when Sundiata began to rule Mali, 1492 is when Sunni Ali died, and 1591 is when the Moroccans conquered Songhai.

The chapter says that Sunni Ali built the largest state that had ever existed in West Africa between 1464 and 1492. Askia Muhammad came after him and set up a Muslim dynasty. Sundiata was the founder of Mali.

The chapter says that in 1516, the Ottoman Turks controlled Egypt, and this marked the end of about 260 years of actual Mamluk rule. In 1275 the Mamluks controlled Nubia, and in 1805 Mohammed Ali rose to power.

The chapter says that Kilwa, an island off the southern coast of Tanzania, kept an outpost at Sofala. From there it traded with the gold-rich Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe. Mombasa, Malindi and Gedi were other Swahili settlements, but the chapter does not link them to this outpost.

The chapter says that Ibn Tumart founded the reform movement, but Abdul Mumin, who succeeded him in 1130, was the real founder of the Almohad Empire. He led the Almohads to victory over the Almoravids. Ibin Yasin and Emir Yahiya were leaders of the Almoravid movement, not the Almohads.

The chapter says that in 1054 the Almoravids took Awdaghust, Ghana's economic centre, and that their control of Kumbi Saleh in 1076 marked the end of the empire of Ghana. Be careful: 1054 is the year of the first attack, not the end.