WORLD HISTORY
MALI - AN EMPIRE OF GOLD
THE RISE
Sundiata, was child born to the Mandinka tribe in the shattered remains of Ghana. Soumaoro Kante was a tyrant sorcerer king who had taken over the capital of Ghana, and expanded from there. None of the tribes under the sorcerer king's rule were content, but would not form a coalition until Sundiata came along and concerned, bartered, and convinced them to join his conquest to take down Soumaoro Kante.("Twang Of a Bow" 4:00-5:00) at the end of a bloody war, the Mandinka stood victorious, and Sundiata took over the old empire of Ghana. he quickly claimed more territory and three immense gold mines, and restarted the salt, gold, and slave trades.
MANSA MUSA
Mansa Musa was the only other noteworthy Mansa, as many of the rest either just sat on a throne, or were tyrants. Mansa Musa was best known for putting Mali on the map as the richest country in the know world, the outside countries marking its location with him holding a golden nugget. He also expanded Mali to its largest known size, ruled extremely well, and took a show off world tour hajj, where he crashed the market value of gold in mutiple cities and tossed fistfulls of gold dust at passerbys. he also brought educated arabs back from Mecca and Cairo. He claimed Timbuktu and Gao, which could control trade more or less throughout the niger river. The arabs that Mansa Musa brought back were employed in Timbuktu, who built the Djinguereber mosque, importing books from all over the world, writing their own books. the saying back then was "salt from the north, gold from the south, and knowledge from timbuktu." (The Empire of Mali - Mansa Musa - Extra History - #3 2:28-7:25).
OTHER NOTABLE ACEIVMENTS
TIMBUKTU!! it was mentioned earlier, but Timbuktu was a major center of knowledge, learning, and invention. timbuktu became a true melting pot of traditional african and strict muslim religion. (The Empire of Mali - Mansa Musa - Extra History - #3, 7:04 - 7:08) learned men and rulers visited and lived there, taking books and copying them. they were extremely rich, but eventually taken by invaders (The Empire of Mali - The Final Bloody Act - Extra History - #5 0:54 - 1:04), significantly weakening the empire, as timbuktu was on a major trade route and the niger river (The Empire of Mali - Mansa Musa - Extra History - #3, 6:02 - 6:04)
LOCATION
Often in ancient civilizations, location plays a role. Mali was located on the west coast of Africa, in the middle of Africa. this put it in the middle of trans-sahharran trade, and eventually in the location of landing portugese
map Photo: https://afktravel.com/100058/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-ancient-empire-of-mali/
WORKS CITED
Credits, Extra, director. The Empire of Mali - An Empire of Trade and Faith - Extra History - #2. YouTube, YouTube, 21 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPytwp5ll9g&index=2&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DDhUWNT_5GWuCnXHh70Zz7. visited January 18 2019
Credits, Extra, director. The Empire of Mali - Mansa Musa - Extra History - #3. YouTube, YouTube, 28 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Un2xx6Pzo&index=3&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DDhUWNT_5GWuCnXHh70Zz7. Visited January 18 2019
Credits, Extra, director. The Empire of Mali - The Cracks Begin to Show - Extra History - #4. YouTube, YouTube, 5 May 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkTF0TGBDNc&index=4&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DDhUWNT_5GWuCnXHh70Zz7. visited January 18 2019
Credits, Extra, director. The Empire of Mali - The Final Bloody Act - Extra History - #5. YouTube, YouTube, 12 May 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi79VdOCXGc&index=5&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DDhUWNT_5GWuCnXHh70Zz7. Visited January 18 2019
Credits, Extra, director. The Empire of Mali - The Twang of a Bow - Extra History - #1. YouTube, YouTube, 14 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkayShPilkw&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DDhUWNT_5GWuCnXHh70Zz7.
Leander. “The Empire of Mali (1230-1600).” South African History Online, 5 Nov. 2018, www.sahistory.org.za/article/empire-mali-1230-1600. visited January 18 2018