Middle Ages
Christianisation of Nubia (543): Nobadia, Makuria and Alodia
The three Nubian kingdoms adopted Christianity as their official religion, beginning a Christian Nubian civilisation that lasted until the 15th century.
Region
Africa
Middle Ages
Debre Damo: Ethiopia's Clifftop Monastery Reached by Rope
A monastery reached only by rope that preserves one of the oldest standing churches in Ethiopia and a long monastic tradition.
Middle Ages
Muslim Conquest of Egypt (639-642): Amr ibn al-As and Alexandria
Egypt passed from the Byzantine Empire to the Rashidun caliphate; a Byzantine attempt to retake Alexandria in 645–646 failed.
Middle Ages
The Baqt (652): Treaty Between Christian Nubia and Muslim Egypt
A non-aggression and exchange agreement under which Makuria sent enslaved people north and received goods from Egypt, preserving Nubian independence for about 600 years.
Middle Ages
Great Mosque of Kairouan: The Oldest Mosque of the Maghreb
Kairouan became the first Arab capital of the Maghreb, and its mosque, rebuilt by the Aghlabids, became a model for mosques across North Africa.
Middle Ages
Trans-Saharan Trade: Gold, Salt and Camel Caravans Across Africa
The caravan trade made West African gold a mainstay of Mediterranean economies and carried Islam, Arabic literacy and new states into the Sahel.
Middle Ages
Ghana Empire (Wagadu): West Africa's First Great Gold Empire
Ghana dominated the West African end of the trans-Saharan gold trade for centuries before declining after the 11th century and being absorbed into the Mali Empire.
Middle Ages
Faras Cathedral Frescoes: Christian Art of Medieval Nubia
More than a hundred medieval Nubian wall paintings were removed from the cathedral and are preserved in the National Museum in Warsaw and the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum.
Middle Ages
Sijilmasa: Northern Gateway of the Trans-Saharan Gold Trade
Sijilmasa became the leading northern terminus of the western caravan routes and a major mint for West African gold before declining in the late 14th century.
Middle Ages
Koumbi Saleh: Archaeology of the Ghana Empire's Capital
Excavations revealed a large stone-built Muslim trading town, widely but not universally accepted as part of Ghana's capital.
Middle Ages
Swahili Coast City-States: Medieval Indian Ocean Trade Hubs
A chain of independent Muslim trading towns linked inland Africa to Arabia, India and China until Portuguese attacks after 1500 weakened them.
Middle Ages
Walls of Benin: The Great Earthworks of the Benin Kingdom
A network of earthworks, estimated at many thousands of kilometres, defined the communities of the Benin region and protected its capital until the British conquest of 1897.