<Tr> <Th> Today part of </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Mali </Li> <Li> Mauritania </Li> <Li> Senegal </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> Mali </Li> <Li> Mauritania </Li> <Li> Senegal </Li> </Ul> <P> The Ghana Empire (c. 700 until c. 1240), properly known as Awkar (Ghana or Ga'na being the title of its ruler), was located in the area of present - day southeastern Mauritania and western Mali . Complex societies based on trans - Saharan trade with salt and gold had existed in the region since ancient times, but the introduction of the camel to the western Sahara in the 3rd century A.D. opened the way to great changes in the area that became the Ghana Empire . By the time of the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 7th century the camel had changed the ancient, more irregular trade routes into a trade network running from Morocco to the Niger river . The Ghana Empire grew rich from this increased trans - Saharan trade in gold and salt, allowing for larger urban centres to develop . The traffic furthermore encouraged territorial expansion to gain control over the different trade - routes . </P> <P> When Ghana's ruling dynasty began remains uncertain; it is mentioned for the first time in written records by Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al - Khwārizmī in 830 . In the 11th century the Cordoban scholar Abuof travelled to the region and gave a detailed description of the kingdom . He claimed that the Ghana could "put 200,000 men into the field, more than 40,000 of them archers", and noted they had cavalry forces as well . </P>

What was the name of the empire that ruled ghana