The
Sahelian kingdoms were a series of kingdoms or empires that were centered on the
sahel, the area of grasslands south of the
Sahara. The wealth of the states came from controlling the trade routes across the desert. Their power came from having large
pack animals like
camels and
horses that were fast enough to keep a large empire under central control and were also useful in battle. All of these empires were also quite decentralized with member cities having a great deal of autonomy.