. [11][12] The version recorded by medieval Arab geographers is Mali (Arabic: , romanized:Ml). This is the least known period in Mali's imperial history. [70] Both of these men were part of Mali's warrior elite known as the ton-ta-jon-ta-ni-woro ("sixteen carriers of quivers"). While spears and bows were the mainstay of the infantry, swords and lances of local or foreign manufacture were the choice weapons of the cavalry. In 1307, Mansa Musa came to the throne after a series of civil wars and ruled for thirty years. [69] The university became a center of learning and culture, drawing Muslim scholars from around Africa and the Middle East to Timbuktu. Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of an urban civilization. Stride, G. T., & C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 10001800". Al-Umari, who wrote down a description of Mali based on information given to him by Abu Said 'Otman ed Dukkali (who had lived 35 years in the capital), reported the realm as being square and an eight-month journey from its coast at Tura (at the mouth of the Senegal River) to Muli. [126], The Kouroukan Fouga also put in place social and economic reforms including prohibitions on the maltreatment of prisoners and slaves, installing documents between clans which clearly stated who could say what about whom. [120], The old core of the empire was divided into three spheres of influence. Ibn Battuta mentions that the value of salt increased fourfold when transported between Oualata and the Malian capital. Several alternate spellings exist, such as Congo Musa, Gongo Musa, and Kankan Musa, but they are regarded as incorrect. [88], Mansa Musa is renowned for his wealth and generosity. In 1534, Mahmud III, the grandson of Mahmud II, received another Portuguese envoy to the Mali court by the name of Pero Fernandes. [40] Seemingly contradictory reports written by Arab visitors, a lack of definitive archaeological evidence, and the diversity of oral traditions all contribute to this uncertainty. She or he will best know the preferred format. [60] She was a hunchback from the land of Do, south of Mali. by Spanish cartographers, shows West Africa dominated by a depiction of Mansa Musa sitting on a throne, holding a nugget of gold in one hand and a golden staff in the other. A very large number of families that make up the Mandinka community were born in Manding. From the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu. The third great account is that of Ibn Khaldun, who wrote in the early 15th century. Masuta the Descended is a miniboss in The Shadow Reef. Regardless of their title in the province, they were recognised as dyamani-tigui (province-master) by the mansa. A city called Dieriba or Dioliba is sometimes mentioned as the capital or main urban center of the province of Mande in the years before Sundiata, that was later abandoned. That same year, after the Mandinka general known as Sagmandir put down yet another rebellion in Gao,[93] Mansa Musa came to Gao and accepted the capitulation of the King of Ghana and his nobles. [17] Whether Mali originated as the name of a town or region, the name was subsequently applied to the entire empire ruled from Mali. Heusch, Luc de: "The Symbolic Mechanisms of Sacred Kingship: Rediscovering Frazer". Upon his return in 1324, Ms Is pious pilgrimage inspired him to commission two enormous mosques in Timbuktu and Gao. . [102] The text of Ibn Khaldun says "Gao, at this time is devastated". The tarikh states that a Sultan Kunburu became a Muslim and had his palace pulled down and the site turned into a mosque; he then built another palace for himself near the mosque on the east side. Several 21st century historians have firmly rejected Niani as a capital candidate based on a lack of archaeological evidence of significant trade activity, clearly described by Arab visitors, particularly during the 14th century, Mali's golden age. [79] Some oral traditions agree with Ibn Khaldun in indicating that a son of Sunjata, named Yerelinkon in oral tradition and Wali in Arabic, took power as Sunjata's successor. Nelson, 1971. Research/Artwork: From Nothing Team. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2147/mansa-musa-family-tree--empire-of-mali/. The Cairo that Mansa Ms visited was ruled by one of the greatest of the Mamlk sultans, Al-Malik al-Nir. He was deposed in 1389, marking the end of the Faga Laye Keita mansas. [137], Copper was also a valued commodity in imperial Mali. [14], Medieval sources are divided over whether Mali is the name of a town or a region. We all know of Mansa Musa, possibly the richest man to ever exist. What made this possible was the decentralised nature of administration throughout the state. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. [93] Emperor Bonga did not appear to hold the area, and it stayed within the Mali Empire after Maghan Keita III's death in 1400. [36][37][38], According to the Tarikh al-Fattash, Musa had a wife named Inari Konte. Mansa Souleyman Keita (or Suleiman) took steep measures to put Mali back into financial shape, thereby developing a reputation for miserliness. Mansa Musa is potentially the richest person to ever live; as ruler of Mali from 1312 to 1337, he came into power after his brother, King Abu Bakr the Second, vanished on an oceanic voyage. 4. Sundiata, according to the oral traditions, did not walk until he was seven years old. The value of the salt was chiefly determined by the transport costs. By the beginning of the 14th century, Mali was the source of almost half the Old World's gold exported from mines in Bambuk, Boure and Galam. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. [13][12] In the Manding languages, the modern descendants of the language spoken at the core of the Mali Empire, Manden or Manding is the name of the region corresponding to the heartland of the Mali Empire. The Sahelian and Saharan towns of the Mali Empire were organised as both staging posts in the long-distance caravan trade and trading centres for the various West African products. We would much rather spend this money on producing more free history content for the world. [27] His list does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual organization of the Mali Empire,[28] and the identification of the listed provinces is controversial. It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. After Ibn Khaldun's death in 1406, there are no further Arab primary sources except for Leo Africanus, who wrote over a century later. In their own country they use only slave women and men for transport, but for long journeys such as pilgrimages they have mounts. If the mansa didn't believe the dyamani-tigui was capable or trustworthy, a farba might be installed to oversee the province or administer it outright. Mahmud Keita, possibly a grandchild or great-grandchild of Mansa Gao Keita, was crowned Mansa Maghan Keita III in 1390. [118] Mahmud sought support from several other rulers, including the governor of Kala, Bukar. In 1645, the Bamana attacked Manden, seizing both banks of the Niger right up to Niani. CREDITS: Chart/Narration: Matt Baker. He brought architects from Andalusia, a region in Spain, and Cairo to build his grand palace in Timbuktu and the great Djinguereber Mosque that still stands today. [70], The number and frequency of conquests in the late 13th century and throughout the 14th century indicate the Kolonkan mansas inherited and/or developed a capable military. Lange, Dierk (1996), "The Almoravid expansion and the downfall of Ghana", Der Islam 73 (2): 313351. During this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states such as Bono state. However, Al-Nasir Muhammad returned Musa's earlier show of generosity with gifts of his own. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. The other major source of information comes from Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots.[5]. At the local level (village, town and city), kun-tiguis elected a dougou-tigui (village-master) from a bloodline descended from that locality's semi-mythical founder. [4] Much of the recorded information about the Mali Empire comes from 14th-century Tunisian historian Ibn Khaldun, 14th-century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta and 16th-century Andalusian traveller Leo Africanus. Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.When Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca in 1324 C.E., his journey through Egypt caused quite a stir. They tell of his hardships as a boy before he came to the throne. Mansa Ms probably died in 1332. [16] However, al-Umari gives Mali as the name of the capital province and Ibn Khaldun refers to Mali as a people, with each giving different names for the capital city itself. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday. Musa and his entourage gave and spent freely while in Cairo. Masuta performs many of the same attacks as his original incarnation (though he yells a quote prior to using his abilities), but does not summon thrashing waters or create . Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca happened between 1324 and 1325. Mansa Musa also ran out of gold on the hajj to Mecca but was not concerned because he knew he had enough gold back in Mali to pay back everyone he owed money to. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. Forty years after the reign of Mansa Musa Keita I, the Mali Empire still controlled some 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000sqmi) of land throughout Western Africa.[103][9]. Mansa Mahmud Keita II came to the throne in 1481 during Mali's downward spiral. During most of his journey, Ibn Battuta travelled with a retinue that included servants, most of whom carried goods for trade. The identification of Niani as imperial capital is rooted in an (possibly erroneous) interpretation of the Arab traveler al Umari's work, as well as some oral histories. His equipment furnishings were carried by 12.000 private slave women (Wasaif) wearing gown and brocade (dibaj) and Yemeni silk []. Traveling from his capital of Niani on the upper Niger River to Walata (Oualta, Mauritania) and on to Tuat (now in Algeria) before making his way to Cairo, Mansa Ms was accompanied by an impressive caravan consisting of 60,000 men including a personal retinue of 12,000 enslaved persons, all clad in brocade and Persian silk. Kangaba, the de facto capital of Manden since the time of the last emperor, became the capital of the northern sphere. [47], According to Jules Vidal and Levtzion, citing oral histories from Kangaba and Keyla, another onetime capital was Manikoro or Mali-Kura, founded after the destruction of Niani. The farba could also take power away from the native administration if required and raise an army in the area for defence or putting down rebellions.[130]. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. Dates: 4001591 C. E.", "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? [93] Mansa Maghan Keita I spent wastefully and was the first lacklustre emperor since Khalifa Keita. [46] [57], Modern oral traditions also related that the Mandinka kingdoms of Mali or Manden had already existed several centuries before Sundiata's unification as a small state just to the south of the Sonink empire of Wagadou, better known as the Ghana Empire. Mans third spouse tells court he was a despot, Woman describes treatment in Aguanga torture trial, Social worker: Children in torture case appeared happy, healthy, Calif. torture trial airs family horror stories, Polygamist who tortured his family is sentenced to 7 life terms, Aguanga man to serve seven life sentences, Emerging from a notorious hell of abuse to counsel others, Laura Cowan, Mansa Musa Muhummed: Sex, Torture, Beatings In Muslim Cult, Former Polygamy Wife Speaks Out On Justice By Any Means. [111] This envoy from the Portuguese coastal port of Elmina arrived in response to the growing trade along the coast and Mali's now urgent request for military assistance against Songhai. [8] Mansa, 'ruler'[9] or 'king'[10] in Mand, was the title of the ruler of the Mali Empire. He ruled the nation for nearly 25 years until his death in 1337 and is . Mansa Ms, whose empire was one of the largest in the world at that time, is reported to have observed that it would take a year to travel from one end of his empire to the other. While on the hajj, he met the Andalusian poet and architect es-Saheli. Maghan Sundiata was declared "faama of faamas" and received the title "mansa", which translates as "king". In the interregnum following Sunjata's death, the jomba or court slaves may have held power. [40] Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus both call the capital "Mali. There are a few references to Mali in early Islamic literature. [20] For the later period of the Mali Empire, the major written primary sources are Portuguese accounts of the coastal provinces of Mali and neighboring societies.[21]. [10], Mali, Mand, Manden, and Manding are all various pronunciations of the same word across different languages and dialects. Musa Keita I (c. 1280 - c. 1337), or Mansa Musa, was the ninth Mansa of the Mali Empire, one of the most powerful West African states. They also used flaming arrows for siege warfare. The bow figured prominently in Mandinka warfare and was a symbol of military force throughout the culture. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca during the reign of Mamluk Sultan An-Nasir Muhammad (r. 12981308), but died on his voyage home. [85] He went on the hajj during the reign of Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad (12981308) and was killed in Tajura on his way back to Mali. The "Qur'an" had a great importance to Mansa Musa as it states "God loves the charitable" (Document D). Kankoro-sigui Mari Djata, who had no relation to the Keita clan, essentially ran the empire in Musa Keita II's stead. He built mosques and large public buildings in cities like Gao and, most famously, Timbuktu. Sakura was able to stabilize the political situation in Mali. The Mali Empire reached its largest area under the Laye Keita mansas. Rather, authority would rest with the mansa and his court, wherever he went. Hunters from the Ghana Empire (or Wagadou), particularly mythical ancestors Kontron and Sanin, founded Manding and the Malink and Bambaras hunter brotherhood. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. He has been subject to popular claims that he is the wealthiest person in history,[5] but his actual wealth is not known with any certainty. jeli), also known as griots, includes relatively little information about Musa compared to some other parts of the history of Mali. In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. Hamana (or Amana), southwest of Joma, became the southern sphere, with its capital at Kouroussa in modern Guinea. [93], Following Musa Keita III's death, his brother Gbr Keita became emperor in the mid-15th century. [76] After unifying Manden, he added the Wangara goldfields, making them the southern border. He sought closer ties with the rest of the Muslim world, particularly the Mamluk and Marinid Sultanates. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. [102], The Songhai settlement effectively shook off Mali's authority in 1375. Ibn Khaldun claims Musa reigned for 25 years, so his accession is dated to 25 years before his death. Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: , romanized:Ms), the Arabic form of Moses. Wagadou and Mema became junior partners in the realm and part of the imperial nucleus. He ruled between 707-732/737 according to the Islamic calendar (AH), which translates to 1307-1332/1337 CE. Eventually, due to Muhammad's failure to return, Musa was recognized as mansa.[89]. During the height of Sundiata's power, the land of Manden (the area populated by the Mandinka people) became one of its provinces. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia, and the modern state of Mali. His leadership of Mali, a state which stretched across two thousand . By 1350, the empire covered approximately 478,819 square miles (1,240,140km2). [40], Musa was a young man when he became mansa, possibly in his early twenties. During the peak of the kingdom, Mali was extremely wealthy. The only real requirement was that the mansa knew he could trust this individual to safeguard imperial interests. The Keitas retreated to the town of Kangaba, where they became provincial chiefs. "LEAD: International: The History of Guinea-Bissau", "Four People Who Single-handedly Caused Economic Crises", "Lessons from Timbuktu: What Mali's Manuscripts Teach About Peace | World Policy Institute", "Mossi (12501575 AD) DBA 2.0 Variant Army List", "The history of Africa Peul and Toucouleur", "Africa and Slavery 15001800 by Sanderson Beck", "How the Mali Empire in the 12th century revolved levels of governance", Trade, Transport, Temples, and Tribute: The Economics of Power, "Gold, Islam and Camels: The Transformative Effects of Trade and Ideology", "Power and permanence in precolonial Africa: a case study from the central Sahel", "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen Age", "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia", "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires", Metropolitan Museum Empires of the Western Sudan: Mali Empire, Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 13251354, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mali_Empire&oldid=1142808910, Identification disputed; possibly no fixed capital, Yantaar or Kel Antasar: Located in the vicinity of the, Tn Ghars or Yantar'ras: Correspond to the modern, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 13:53. Musa's death may have occurred in 1337, 1332, or possibly even earlier, giving 1307 or 1312 as plausible approximate years of accession. [135] Gold nuggets were the exclusive property of the mansa and were illegal to trade within his borders. [69] The Kangaba province, free of Sonink influence, splintered into twelve kingdoms with their own maghan (meaning prince) or faama. Only sofa were equipped by the state, using bows and poisoned arrows. 24 June, 2022. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. The date of Mansa Musa's death is not certain. [43] Perhaps because of this, Musa's early reign was spent in continuous military conflict with neighboring non-Muslim societies. A dknsi performed the same function except with slave troops called sofa ("guardian of the horse") and under the command of a farimba ("great brave man"). [114] However, the Songhai do not maintain their hold on the Malian capital. The history of the Mandinka started in Manding region. [75] When the campaigning was done, his empire extended 1,000 miles (1,600km) east to west with those borders being the bends of the Senegal and Niger rivers respectively. The Venetian explorer Alvise Cadamosto and Portuguese traders confirmed that the peoples of the Gambia were still subject to the mansa of Mali. Mansa Musa was an important ruler of the golden age of the Malink kingdom, based on the upper Niger River in Mali, West Africa. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. [136] While it was as good as gold in the north, it was even better in the south. [52][55], Musa's generosity continued as he traveled onwards to Mecca, and he gave gifts to fellow pilgrims and the people of Medina and Mecca. [115], Mali's fortunes seem to have improved in the second half of the 16th century. [59], On his return journey, Musa met the Andalusian poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, whose eloquence and knowledge of jurisprudence impressed him, and whom he convinced to travel with him to Mali. Mali borrowed the practice to stem inflation of the substance, since it was so prominent in the region. [104] He would only reign a year before a descendant of Mansa Gao Keita removed him.[70]. The organization and smooth administration of a purely African empire, the founding of the University of Sankore, the expansion of trade in Timbuktu, the architectural innovations in Gao, Timbuktu, and Niani and, indeed, throughout the whole of Mali and in the subsequent Songhai empire are all testimony to Mansa Mss superior administrative gifts. Al-Qalqashandi quotes al-'Umari as spelling it. [97] Though this has been described as having "wrecked" Egypt's economy,[85] the historian Warren Schultz has argued that this was well within normal fluctuations in the value of gold in Mamluk Egypt. The family tree of Mansa Musa. [34][35] Nonetheless, the possibility of such a voyage has been taken seriously by several historians. [99] Mosques were built in Gao and Timbuktu along with impressive palaces also built in Timbuktu. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and adorned with arabesques of striking colours. [43] Djibril Tamsir Niane, a Guinean historian, has been a forceful advocate of this position in recent decades. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. At the height of its power, Mali had at least 400 cities, and the interior of the Niger Delta was very densely populated. [27] The date of Musa's birth is unknown, but he still appeared to be a young man in 1324. However, territories that were crucial to trade or subject to revolt would receive a farba. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. He intended to abdicate the throne and return to Mecca but died before he was able to do so. After many years in exile, first at the court of Wagadou and then at Mema, Sundiata was sought out by a Niani delegation and begged to combat the Sosso and free the kingdoms of Manden forever. Much of the history is oral, given by professional "historians". [98] Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds. While in Mecca, conflict broke out between a group of Malian pilgrims and a group of Turkic pilgrims in the Masjid al-Haram. [86] Fajigi is remembered as having traveled to Mecca to retrieve ceremonial objects known as boliw, which feature in Mand traditional religion. He was the first African ruler to be widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. If Dakajalan was, in fact, situated near Kangaba, this may also have contributed to their conflation, beginning with Delafosse's speculation that the latter may have begun as a suburb of the former.