Empires
Rise and
Origins:
 The founders of the
(Manding, Mansa) Mali Empire in West Africa were the
Mandinka
people. The heartland of the ancient Mali
Empire was the plateau between the upper
Niger and the Senegal rivers (see
map), in the
area now within the borders of the
modern republic of Mali. At its height
in the 14th century A.D. the empire
covered an area of more than 24,000
square kilometres.
 The Mandingo
speaking peoples of the modern states of
The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau,
Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and
Liberia all trace their cultural origins
to the Empire of Manding from where their ancestors migrated centuries ago.
During the height of Ghana's power the Mandinka lived in scattered
villages ruled by village chiefs. Mandinka political unity was brought
about by a racial  reaction against the oppressive rule of Sumanguru
Kante, the Serahule ruler who conquered Mandinka territory after he
had established his rule in Kumbi. It was when the scattered Mandingo
community came together to resist the oppressive rule of Sumanguru
Kante, that the insurgent Mandinka found a
national hero in Makhara Makhang Konate, otherwise known as
Sunjatta
Keita.
Sunjatta was invited by the people of
 Manding to
lead them into war and regain his throne earning his surname Keita
which in Mandinka means "to take inheritance". Sunjatta raised a
strong army and in 1234 triumphantly entered Jeriba,
the capital of Kangaba, and seized the throne. With the defeat of
Sumanguru Kante by Sunjatta's forces at the famous battle of Kirina
in 1235 the Mali Empire was born.
At its greatest extent, which was during
Sunjatta's lifetime and just shortly after his death, the Manding claimed
an immense territory stretching from the edge of the Sahara to the
forests of the south in what now comprises the
 republic of Liberia and
Sierra Leone. From east to west, it claimed all the region between
Takedda beyond the Niger Buckle covering Senegambia on the Atlantic
Ocean. Sunjatta died in 1255 in mysterious circumstances.
Sujatta's immediate successor was his son Mansa Wali who
reigned for 15 years from 1255 to 1270 and is said to be one of the
greatest kings of the Mali Empire.
Reign of Mansa Musa:
 The best known ruler known to the Arabs and the most famous
outside the Arab world was Mansa Kankan Musa. Mansa Musa reigned from
1312 to 1337 during its golden age. He consolidated the foundations
laid down by Sunjatta and ruled the empire at its greatest height. By the time of his reign Islam had
 become firmly
established among the ruling classes of Mali. It was the emperor's
pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that literally put The Maninka empire on the map.
He traveled with thousands of porters and servants carrying lots of
with gold. During his stay in Egypt on his way to Mecca he spent and gave away so
much gold that there was a devaluation of the local currency and it
sparked an inflationary crisis in Egypt as well as depressing world
 prices of the commodity. As a result of this rather extravagant
display of wealth his fame spread as far as Europe where the Catalan
map by Abraham Cresques of about 1375 shows "Mussa Melli"
seated on a gold throne wearing a gold crown while holding a gold
nugget, describing him as "The
riches and most noble king in all the land".
During the
time of his reign Mansa Musa also became famous for his work in the
fields of politics, commerce and Islam. In the field of politics Mansa
Musa extended the borders of Mali even much further and set up a
more effective system of government
 than any of the earlier kings of
Mali. Mansa Musa's administration of
justice was relatively impartial and in
the field of diplomacy he was able to
establish friendly relationships with
other African states such as Morocco and
Egypt. Much of the eyewitness accounts
of life in 14th century Manding is derived from the memoirs of Ibn Battuta, an Arab traveller who's Rihla memoirs give a
wealth of observation
 and detail about Mali. Another famous North African scholar, Ibn Khaldun, recorded that
"there were diplomatic relations and exchanges of gifts between Mansa
Musa and the Contemporary king of Morocco, Sultan Abu-Hassan and that
high-ranking statesmen of the two kingdoms were exchanged as
ambassadors".
To help the king in his work, Mansa Musa had
judges, scribes and civil servants. These people helped him to
strengthen the administrative machinery of the Empire. There were at
least 1 4 provinces in Mali including the province of Manding proper
where the the kings' capital of Niani was situated. Most of the
provinces were ruled by governors who were usually famous generals.
Others, such as the Berber provinces, were governed by their own
Sheikhs. Some of the important commercial centres also had governors
of their own. All these provincial administrators were responsible to
the Mansa, and they were all said to be well paid. The king also
regularly invited and dealt with complaints and appeals against
injustices perpetrated by the governors. All this elaborate machinery
 of government was expensive to run, and the Mali kings had the
usual sources of income through taxes collected on crops and livestock, tolls tribute from vassal states, trade taxes and proceeds
from royal estates.
The Mali Empire enjoyed not only
stability and good government under Mansa Musa but also commercial
prosperity. As both the salt-producing regions and the gold districts
came under her control, Mali was able to attract
 traders from the
north as well as from the south of the
empire. His team of governors and strong
army were able to maintain order even
among the turbulent Berbers of the
South-Western regions of the Sahara, so
that traders and travellers could move
to and fro with a sense of security. In
this way commerce became very brisk and
traders from different lands such as
Egypt and Morocco could be found in the
commercial towns.
Mansa Musa and his generals were able to
capture  Walata, a famous commercial centre built by merchants from
Ghana as well as Timbuktu (also spelt Tombouctou), a small town to the north of
Mali, which
began life as a Berber seasonal camp but would grow into a great
commercial and educational centre of the Western Sudan.
The Economy:
The main commercial centres were its capital Niani, Timbuktu
and Gao which later became the capital of Songhai. The major caravan
routes terminated at Niani and other commercial staging posts, and
defending them was one of the major functions of the empire. Copper,
gold, salt, and kola nuts were pivotal to Mali’s economy. After the
reign of Sunjatta, Mali became the world’s largest producer of gold.
 Ibn Khaldun
described the empire's capital as "an extensive place with cultivated
land fed by running water, with an active population, busy markets and
at the time, station for trading caravans from Morocco, Tripoli and
Egypt". However, the commercial centres of Timbuktu and Gao to
the north of Niani were even more commercially active. The medium of
exchange for trade in was the white shells known as cowries,
though the system of barter was also practised.
Spread of Islam & Literacy:
 One of the main
things that gave fame to Mansa Musa was his work in the field of
Islam. Mansa Musa was himself a very pious Muslim and wanted to use
Islam for the spiritual well being of his people. He devoted a great
deal of his time purifying, strengthening and spreading Islam in
Mali, especially after his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. After his
pilgrimage to Mecca he  returned to Mali filled with a determination
to purify and strengthen Islam, to promote Islamic education and to
introduce some of the new things he had seen on his journey.
As
a pious Muslim Musa made the end of Ramadan a national ceremony and
built imposing mosques in several cities. He also gave generous
patronage to Muslim scholars to encourage them in their study and
teaching of the Islamic sciences. The Sankore mosque built in Timbuktu
became an internationally known centre of scholarship, equivalent to
the Medieval universities of Europe. This had a number of practical
advantages. Literacy in Arabic facilitated the transaction of
government business and also improved political and commercial
dealings with North Africa.
Architecture:
 Musa's contact with
North Africa brought important developments in the field of
architecture. On his return from his hajj in Mecca, he was accompanied
by a Spanish poet and architect from Andalusia named El-Saheli.
El-Saheli built the king a distinguished palace in Timbuktu as well as
a number of Mosques in Manding cities including the mud brick
Djingareiber Mosque for which he was paid 200 kg of gold. The
architectural styles introduced by El-Saheli were new to the Mandinkas as he
introduced the flat roof of North Africa, the pyramidal minaret and
the use of burnt bricks. These designs were to later influence
architecture in the Western Sudan.
Empires
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History Page
Sundiata Keita
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Old & New Name:
The empire of Mali existed between c.
800-1550. Its borders encompassed
parts of present-day Mali, Mauritania
and reached to the Atlantic Ocean,
incorporating present-day Senegal & The
Gambia.
Until 1958 present-day Mali was known as
French Sudan, one of 8 colonies
making up French West Africa. French
Sudan gained its independence in 1960
and changed its name to Mali. |
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