Ghana Empire

Ghana Empire غانا Wagadu واغادو
c. 100–300–c. mid-1200s
The Ghana Empire at its greatest extent
Capital	Koumbi Saleh (likely a later capital)[1]
Common languages	Soninke, Malinke, Mande
Religion	African traditional religion Later Islam
Government	Feudal Monarchy
Ghana
• 700	Kaya Magan Cissé
• 790s	Dyabe Cisse
• 1040–1062	Ghana Bassi
• 1203–1235	Soumaba Cisse
Historical era	1st–3rd century–13th century
• Established	c. 100–300
• Conversion to Islam	1076
• Conquered by Sosso/Submitted to the Mali Empire	c. 15th century c. mid-1200s
Preceded by Succeeded by Tichitt culture Djenné-Djenno Sosso Empire Kingdom of Diarra Méma Pre-imperial Mali Gajaaga
Today part of	Mali Mauritania Senegal

The Ghana Empire (Arabic: غانا), also known as simply Ghana,^[2] Ghanata, or Wagadu, was a West African classical to post-classical era western-Sahelian empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali.

It is uncertain among historians when Ghana's ruling dynasty began. The first identifiable mention of the imperial dynasty in written records was made by Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī in 830.^[3] Further information about the empire was provided by the accounts of Cordoban scholar al-Bakri when he wrote about the region in the 11th century.

After centuries of prosperity, the empire began its decline in the second millennium, and would finally become a vassal state of the rising Mali Empire at some point in the 13th century. Despite its collapse, the empire's influence can be felt in the establishment of numerous urban centers throughout its former territory. In 1957, the British colony of the Gold Coast, under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah named itself Ghana upon independence.