Henry Louis Gates Jr. uncovers the complex trade networks and advanced educational institutions that transformed early north and west Africa from deserted lands into the continent’s wealthiest kingdoms and learning epicentres.

Originally released by PBS, 2017. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on November 06, 2017.

Introduction: Empires of Gold (2:21); --Abdalla ibn Yasin (5:21); -- The Sahara Desert (4:14); -- Decline of Ghana (3:15); -- Excavated in 1947 (3:26); -- War Breaks Out (2:44); -- City of Fez (6:38); -- Timbuktu (3:13); -- Mali Empire (3:42); -- Personal Possessions (2:10); -- Mansa Musa's Legacy (4:03); -- Ife Empire (4:24); -- Obalufon II (4:11); -- Empires of Gold: Conclusion (2:10); -- Credits: Africa's Great Civilizations— Part 3: Empires of Gold (0:44); -- Africa's Great Civilizations: Empires of Gold (17:34); -- Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali (13:11); -- Timbuktu and the Kingdom of Mali (9:54); -- Timbuktu and Mali (6:55); -- Timbuktu, Mali, and Mansa Musa (13:09); .