Ghana, Kingdom of, a medieval state located between the Niger and Senegal rivers on the edge of the Sahara, in present-day Mali. The kingdom was formed about the 5th or 6th century A.D., and grew rich on trade between the Sahara and regions farther south. In the 11th century a Berber group, the Almoravids, conquered Ghana. The kingdom regained its independence but never regained its commercial dominance. By the mid-13th century Ghana had broken up into small states.