At its height in the third century CE, the Axum civilization dominated trade in northeastern Africa and accumulated tremendous wealth. How did depletion of natural resources lead to the civilization's decline?

The decline of the Axum civilization was greatly caused by the rampant spread of Islam religion in the area. It was a powerful state of Africa in 100-940 AD and served as an important kingdom for major trading nations. It had its own economy that was dependent on export and international trade. But as Islam made its way in the Middle East and Africa, they grew in power and size while gaining control on most of the important trade ports that the Axum civilization depended on. This then caused the decline of the civilization near the end of the 7th century.