Editing Ivory Coast (section)

===Pre-Islamic and Islamic periods===
The first recorded history appears in the chronicles of North African ([[Berbers|Berber]]) traders, who, from early [[Ancient Rome|Roman times]], conducted a [[caravan (travellers)|caravan]] trade across the [[Sahara]] in salt, slaves, gold, and other goods.<ref name=":0" /> The southern termini of the [[trans-Saharan trade]] routes were located on the edge of the desert, and from there supplemental trade extended as far south as the edge of the rainforest.<ref name=":0" /> The most important terminals—[[Djenné]], [[Gao]], and [[Timbuktu|Timbuctu]]—grew into major commercial centres around which the great Sudanic empires developed.<ref name=":0" />

By controlling the trade routes with their powerful military forces, these empires were able to dominate neighbouring states.<ref name=":0" /> The Sudanic empires also became centres of [[Islamic studies|Islamic education]].<ref name=":0" /> Islam had been introduced in the [[Sudan (region)|western Sudan]] by Muslim Berbers; it spread rapidly after the conversion of many important rulers.<ref name=":0" /> From the 11th century, by which time the rulers of the Sudanic empires had embraced Islam, it spread south into the northern areas of contemporary Ivory Coast.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Ghana Empire]], the earliest of the Sudanic empires, flourished in the region encompassing present-day southeast [[Mauritania]] and southern [[Mali]] between the 4th and 13th centuries.<ref name=":0" /> At the peak of its power in the 11th century, its realms extended from the Atlantic Ocean to Timbuktu.<ref name=":0" /> After the decline of Ghana, the [[Mali Empire]] grew into a powerful Muslim state, which reached its apogee in the early part of the 14th century.<ref name=":0" /> The territory of the Mali Empire in Ivory Coast was limited to the northwest corner around [[Odienné]].<ref name=":0" />

Its slow decline starting at the end of the 14th century followed internal discord and revolts by vassal states, one of which, [[Songhai Empire|Songhai]], flourished as an empire between the 14th and 16th centuries.<ref name=":0" /> Songhai was also weakened by internal discord, which led to factional warfare.<ref name=":0" /> This discord spurred most of the migrations southward toward the forest belt.<ref name=":0" /> The dense rainforest covering the southern half of the country created barriers to the large-scale political organisations that had arisen in the north.<ref name=":0" /> Inhabitants lived in villages or clusters of villages; their contacts with the outside world were filtered through long-distance traders.<ref name=":1">{{Harvnb|Warner|1988|p=6}}.</ref> Villagers [[subsistence agriculture|subsisted on agriculture]] and hunting.<ref name=":1" />