Islam entered West Africa, becoming an integral part of the culture, through relatively subtle means, over a period from 690 to 1493. Conquest did not play a major role in the spread of the religion into the region. Islamic culture moved southward from Egypt into the Mediterranean coast. From there, the religion incubated among the Arabs and their Berber subjects until Ghana, Mali and Songhai, the Great Kingdoms of West Africa, provided the social stability for its continued influx. Islam penetrated into West Africa primarily through trade, conversion of elites and syncretism.
