From 600 to 1450, Islam affected Sub-Saharan Africa by changing the religion from mostly animistic to Islamic and trade by making it global, but the caste system stays the same. Sub-Saharan Africa was forced to convert to Islam because the Almoravid armies required people to convert or were slaughtered immediately. Islam mostly spread through traders and merchants before the Almoravid conquest. Although Sub-Saharan Africa was forced to become Islamic, leaders and merchants were the only ones to really convert. Sundiata and Mansa Musa were Islamic leaders of Sub-Saharan Africa. Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca and weakened the value of gold. While on his travels he brought back with him Ishak al-Sahili to plan and build multiple mosques.
