Muslim men became traders in gold and other valuables,[8] various schools were built around the Islamic faith which increased literacy, and a centralized bureaucracy encouraged stability and strengthen the Empire.[6] This period was known as "the Golden Age".[9] Gaining from his fathers creation, Askia Daoud experienced great prosperity even during his rule over the empire, however, slowly afterwards the death of his father there was a gradual decline in sovereignty and the power of the empire.[7]