National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. The other account claims that Gao had been conquered during the reign of Mansa Sakura. [119], It would be the Mandinka themselves that would cause the final destruction of the empire. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely . As founded by Mari Djata, it was composed of the "three freely allied states" of Mali, Mema and Wagadou plus the Twelve Doors of Mali.[60]. We all know of Mansa Musa, possibly the richest man to ever exist. [131] Mansa Musa placed a heavy tax on all objects that went through Timbuktu. While Mansa Musa's grandfather, Abu-Bakr, was a nephew of Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Malian Empire, neither he nor his descendants had a strong claim to the throne. [136] One particular source of salt in the Mali Empire was salt-mining sites located in Taghaza. [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. In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. During most of his journey, Ibn Battuta travelled with a retinue that included servants, most of whom carried goods for trade. 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. He did however, maintain contacts with Morocco, sending a giraffe to King Abu Hassan. The empire taxed every ounce of gold, copper and salt that entered its borders. 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. Musa I (c. 1280 - 1337), better known as Mansa Musa, was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire.Widely considered to have been the wealthiest person in known history (some sources measuring his wealth at around $400 billion adjusted to inflation), his vast wealth was used to attract scholars, merchants and architects to Mali, establishing it as a beacon of Islamic trade, culture and learning. Musa is known for his wealth and generosity. Ibn Battuta comments on festival demonstrations of swordplay before the mansa by his retainers including the royal interpreter. The Mandinka went on to form the powerful and rich Mali Empire, which produced the richest Black man who ever lived, King Mansa Musa. Please check the original source(s) for copyright information. Gao had already been captured by Musa's general, and Musa quickly regained Timbuktu, built a rampart and stone fort, and placed a standing army to protect the city from future invaders.[70]. King of Kings in the Mandinka language a reference to a great ruler in the Mali Empire of ancient Africa. "[42], Early European writers such as Maurice Delafosse believed that Niani, a city on what is now the border between Guinea and Mali, was the capital for most of the empire's history, and this notion has taken hold in the popular imagination. [57][58] Having run out of money, Musa and his entourage were forced to borrow money and re-sell much of what they had purchased while in Cairo before the hajj, and Musa went into debt to several merchants, such as Siraj al-Din. The Rock art in the Sahara suggests that northern Mali has been inhabited since 10,000 BC, when the Sahara was fertile and rich in wildlife. However, Al-Nasir Muhammad returned Musa's earlier show of generosity with gifts of his own. When Musa departed Mali for the hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence. The third great account is that of Ibn Khaldun, who wrote in the early 15th century. [75] It is possible that it was actually Musa's son Maghan who congratulated Abu al-Hasan, or Maghan who received Abu al-Hasan's envoy after Musa's death. [93] Mansa Souleyman's generals successfully fought off the military incursions, and the senior wife Kassi behind the plot was imprisoned. Mansa Musa came from his country with 80 loads of gold dust (tibr), each load weighing three qintars. They are descendants of. In the first millennium BC, early cities and towns were created by Mande peoples related to the Soninke people, along the middle Niger River in central Mali, including at Dia which began from around 900 BC, and reached its peak around 600 BC,[52] and Djenne-Djenno, which lasted from around 250 BC to 900 AD. [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. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. and transl. [60] Other scholars whom Musa brought to Mali included Maliki jurists. It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. [112] Still, no help came from the envoy and further possessions of Mali were lost one by one. "Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali." Mansa Musa developed cities like Timbuktu and Gao into important cultural centers. Kankan Musa, better known as Mansa Musa probably took power in approximately 1312, although an earlier date is possible. "[65], It is recorded that Mansa Musa traveled through the cities of Timbuktu and Gao on his way to Mecca, and made them a part of his empire when he returned around 1325. Mansa Musa (about 1280 - about 1337) was an emperor (mansa) of the Mali Empire during the 14th century. [89] This claim is often sourced to an article in CelebrityNetWorth,[89] which claims that Musa's wealth was the equivalent of US$400 billion. This is the first account of a West African kingdom made directly by an eyewitness; the others are usually second-hand. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Musa stayed in the Qarafa district of Cairo, and befriended its governor, Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned much about Mali from him. [56], In the 1960s, archaeological work at Niani village, reputed to be the capital of the Mali Empire, by Polish and Guinean archaeologists revealed the remains of a substantial town dating back as far as the 6th century. [69] The Kangaba province, free of Sonink influence, splintered into twelve kingdoms with their own maghan (meaning prince) or faama. According to Ibn Battuta who visited Mali in the mid-14th century, one camel load of salt sold at Walata for 810 mithqals of gold, but in Mali proper it realised 2030 ducats and sometimes even 40. Imperial Mali's horsemen also used iron helmet and mail armour for defence[146] as well as shields similar to those of the infantry. It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. The 1375 Catalan Atlas portrayed a "city of Melly" (Catalan: ciutat de Melly) in West Africa. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws and customs. Sakura was able to stabilize the political situation in Mali. The Songhai Empire had fallen to the Saadi Sultanate of Morocco eight years earlier, and Mahmud sought to take advantage of their defeat by trying to capture Jenne. [70] However, once Sundiata did gain use of his legs he grew strong and very respected. Mansa Musa was the great-great-grandson of Sunjata, who was the founder of the empire of Mali. Each individual farariya ("brave") had a number of infantry officers beneath them called kl-koun or dknsi. [86] After Sakura's death, power returned to the line of Sunjata, with Wali's son Qu taking the throne. 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. Imperial Malian architecture was characterised by Sudano-Sahelian architecture with a Malian substyle, which is exemplified by the Great Mosque of Djenne. The three states warred with each other as much, if not more, than they did against outsiders, but rivalries generally stopped when faced with invasion. 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. There is some ambiguity over the identity of the mansa responsible for the voyages. Barring any other difficulties, the dyamani-tigui would run the province by himself collecting taxes and procuring armies from the tribes under his command. All rights reserved. Mansa Musa was an important ruler of the golden age of the Malink kingdom, based on the upper Niger River in Mali, West Africa. [63] Both of these accounts may be true, as Mali's control of Gao may have been weak, requiring powerful mansas to reassert their authority periodically.[64]. His reign came with huge physical, economic and intellectual development in the Mali Empire. The only major setback to his reign was the loss of Mali's Dyolof province in Senegal. Extensive archaeological digs have shown that the area was an important trade and manufacturing center in the 15th century, but no firm evidence of royal residence has come to light. the descendants of the nearly 1,000-year-old objects made in Africa. Stories of his fabulous wealth even reached Europe. Mali was thriving for a long time, but like other west African kingdoms, Mali began to fall. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca from 1324 to 1326. [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"). Between 1324 - 1325, Mansa Musa . Nobody lived in the area except the Musafa servants who worked to dig the salts and lived on dates imported from Sijilmasa and the Dar'a valley, camel meat and millet imported from the Sudan. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Dates: 4001591 C. E.", "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? It is not known if this was an attempt to correct the depreciation of gold in the area due to his spending,[7] or if he had simply run out of the funds needed for the return trip. Musa provided all necessities for the procession, feeding the entire company of men and animals. [149], Imperial banner carried with Musa I in 1325 Hajj, Social, economic and governmental reformation. Only sofa were equipped by the state, using bows and poisoned arrows. The family tree of Mansa Musa. Although this time in the kingdom was prosperous, Mali's wealth and power soon declined. Mansa Mss prodigious generosity and piety, as well as the fine clothes and exemplary behaviour of his followers, did not fail to create a most-favourable impression. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. The Black emperors great civility notwithstanding, the meeting between the two rulers might have ended in a serious diplomatic incident, for so absorbed was Mansa Ms in his religious observances that he was only with difficulty persuaded to pay a formal visit to the sultan. Musa gave the gold to the poor he met along his route. In 1324 Musa embarked on a hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, traveling with an entourage that included 8,000 courtiers, 12,000 servants and 100 camel loads of . Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of an urban civilization. His religious devotion contributed to the spread of Islam across West Africa. 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. He has sometimes been called the wealthiest person in history. This can be interpreted as either "Musa son of Abu Bakr" or "Musa descendant of Abu Bakr." 1312 is the most widely accepted by modern historians. In 14331434, the Mali Empire lost control of Timbuktu to the Tuareg, led by Akil The Mansa led the second expedition himself, and appointed Musa as his deputy to rule the empire until he returned. World History Encyclopedia. [86] Qu was succeeded by his son Muhammad, who launched two voyages to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Mansa Mari Djata Keita II became seriously ill in 1372,[93] and power moved into the hands of his ministers until his death in 1374. [70] Little is known of him except that he only reigned two years. Ibn Khaldun claims Musa reigned for 25 years, so his accession is dated to 25 years before his death. [95] When he passed through Cairo, historian al-Maqrizi noted "the members of his entourage proceeded to buy Turkish and Ethiopian slave girls, singing girls and garments, so that the rate of the gold dinar fell by six dirhams.". His administration and military work allowed the empire to survive through the 16th century, solidifying him, his empire, and his family into the imaginations of storytellers around the world. Mansa Ms, either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, came to the throne in 1307. During this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states such as Bono state. [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. Sandaki likely means High Counsellor or Supreme Counsellor, from san or sanon (meaning "high") and adegue (meaning counsellor). What did Ms I do when he returned to Mali? [82], Musa is less renowned in Mand oral tradition as performed by the jeliw. Equipped with two quivers and a knife fastened to the back of their arm, Mandinka bowmen used barbed, iron-tipped arrows that were usually poisoned. [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. When Mansa Musa was giving gold away, he was following 2 . Three bowmen supporting one spearman was the ratio in Kaabu and the Gambia by the mid-16th century. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. He stopped in Cairo along the way, and his luxurious spending and gift giving was so extensive that he diluted the value of gold by 10 to 25 percent and impacted Cairos economy for at least 12 years afterward. By the time they reached Suez, many of the Malian pilgrims had died of cold, starvation, or bandit raids, and they had lost many of their supplies. [104] He would only reign a year before a descendant of Mansa Gao Keita removed him.[70]. Kankoro-sigui Mari Djata, who had no relation to the Keita clan, essentially ran the empire in Musa Keita II's stead. It may have been located close to modern Kangaba. In 1330, the kingdom of Mossi invaded and conquered the city of Timbuktu. Mansa Musa (died 1337), king of the Mali empire in West Africa, is known mostly for his fabulous pilgrimage to Mecca and for his promotion of unity and prosperity within Mali. The value of the salt was chiefly determined by the transport costs. Musa made his pilgrimage between 1324 and 1325 spanning 2,700 miles. Before Dankaran Touman and his mother could enjoy their unimpeded power, King Soumaoro set his sights on Niani forcing Dankaran to flee to Kissidougou.[60]. Sundiata, according to the oral traditions, did not walk until he was seven years old. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. His name was Mansa Musa, and he was a devout Muslim. Swords were drawn, but before the situation escalated further, Musa persuaded his men to back down. [115] The breakup of the Wolof Empire allowed Mali to reassert authority over some of its former subjects on the north bank of the Gambia, such as Wuli, by 1576. The growing trade in Mali's western provinces with Portugal witnessed the exchange of envoys between the two nations. The army of the Mali Empire during the 14th century was divided into northern and southern commands led by the Farim-Soura and Sankar-Zouma, respectively. Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. His reign is associated with numerous construction projects, including part of Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu. Web. Last modified October 17, 2020. Still, throne names do not usually indicate blood relations. Emperors and Empresses from Around the (Non-Roman) World Quiz, Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal et duc de Richelieu, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali, World History Encyclopedia - Mansa Musa I, Musa - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The emperor was so overjoyed by the new acquisition that he decided to delay his return to Niani and to visit Gao instead, there to receive the personal submission of the Songhai king and take the kings two sons as hostages. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean".
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