Location of Nubian Desert relative to Nile

Detail from map

Detail from map

Map of pre-colonial African empires

Map of pre-colonial African empires

Stelae Park in Axum

King Ezana's Stele in Axum

Axum Stele a.k.a. the Rome Stele

An obelisk in Rome with a pyramidal cap

Bet Giorgis rock-cut churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bet Giorgis rock-cut churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bet Giorgis rock-cut churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia

Kilwa Kisiwani, an island off modern day Tanzania

Kilwa Kisiwani, contemporary painting by Braun (1572)

Kilwa Kisiwani, Emir's Palace and Mosque

Kilwa Kisiwani, fort and slave market

Location of the Great Zimbabwe

The Great Zimbabwe, 1906 photograph

The Great Zimbabwe, c 1200-1500

The Great Zimbabwe

The Great Zimbabwe

The Great Zimbabwe

The Great Zimbabwe

The Great Zimbabwe

The Great Zimbabwe

Location of Dogon beneath the Bandiagara Escarpment, modern day Mali

Square Huts of Dogon beneath the Bandiagara Escarpment, c 1500 and later

Square Huts of Dogon

The hunter's lodge

Square Huts of Dogon with mud mosque in foreground

Location of ancient city of the Sahel

Location of ancient city of Gao in modern day Mali

Tomb of Askia Mohammed in Gao (1495)

Tomb of Askia Mohammed, historical photograph

Tomb of Askia Mohammed

Location of Mande or Mali Empire showing Djenne, Gao, and Timbuktu

Djinguereber (Great) Mosque in Timbuktu (c 1327)

Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu

Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu

Sankore Mosque at Timbuktu (c 1340)

Sankore Mosque at Timbuktu

Sankore Mosque at Timbuktu

Mosque at ancient city of Djenne, originally built c 1300

Mosque at ancient city of Djenne, rebuilt by French 1907

Mosque at ancient city of Djenne

Mosque at ancient city of Djenne