There are a few references to Mali in early Islamic literature. They tell of his hardships as a boy before he came to the throne. 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]. Mansa Souleyman Keita died in 1360 and was succeeded by his son, Camba Keita. [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]. The buildings were constructed from slabs of salt and roofed with camel skins. He intended to abdicate the throne and return to Mecca but died before he was able to do so. Alternate titles: Kankan Ms, Mansa Musa, Mousa, Musa. Gold dust was used all over the empire, but was not valued equally in all regions. The value of the salt was chiefly determined by the transport costs. Only sofa were equipped by the state, using bows and poisoned arrows. "[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. Editing: Jack Rackam. So lavish was the emperor in his spending that he flooded the Cairo market with gold, thereby causing such a decline in its value that the market some 12 years later had still not fully recovered. As soon as Sassouma's son Dankaran Touman took the throne, he and his mother forced the increasingly popular Sundjata into exile along with his mother and two sisters. [102], The Songhai settlement effectively shook off Mali's authority in 1375. He could read and write Arabic and took an interest in the scholarly city of Timbuktu, which he peaceably annexed in 1324. [86] After Sakura's death, power returned to the line of Sunjata, with Wali's son Qu taking the throne. World History Encyclopedia. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. But more reasoned analysis suggests that his role, if any, was quite limited. The child of this marriage received the first name of his mother (Sogolon) and the surname of his father (Djata). Musa's name Kanku Musa means "Musa son of Kanku", but the genealogy may not be literal. [92] Furthermore, it is difficult to meaningfully compare the wealth of historical figures such as Mansa Musa, due to the difficulty of separating the personal wealth of a monarch from the wealth of the state and the difficulty of comparing wealth in highly different societies. We would much rather spend this money on producing more free history content for the world. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. 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. Therefore, Arabic visitors may have assigned the "capital" label merely to whatever major city the mansa was based out of at the time of their visit. This enabled him to rule over a realm larger than even the Ghana Empire in its apex. [84][85] However, some aspects of Musa appear to have been incorporated into a figure in Mand oral tradition known as Fajigi, which translates as "father of hope". [59] Those not living in the mountains formed small city-states such as Toron, Ka-Ba and Niani. Very little is known about the life of Mansa Musa before 1312. and transl. [45], Many oral histories point to a town called Dakajalan as the original home of the Keita clan and Sundiata's childhood home and base of operations during the war against the Soso. It wasn't long before the new kingdom of Great Fulo was warring against Mali's remaining provinces. The Sankor University was capable of housing 25,000 students and had one of the largest libraries in the world with roughly 1,000,000 manuscripts.[100][101]. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. 05 Mar 2023. Mali's domain also extended into the desert. Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: , romanized:Ms), the Arabic form of Moses. The Mali Empire (Manding: Mand or Manden; Arabic: , romanized: Ml) was an empire in West Africa from c. 1226 to 1670. 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. While on the hajj, he met the Andalusian poet and architect es-Saheli. [5] In c. 1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. Ibn Battuta had written that in Taghaza there were no trees and there is only sand and the salt mines. Mansa Sandaki Keita, a descendant of kankoro-sigui Mari Djata Keita, deposed Maghan Keita II, becoming the first person without any Keita dynastic relation to officially rule Mali. He built mosques and large public buildings in cities like Gao and, most famously, Timbuktu. [60] She was a hunchback from the land of Do, south of Mali. [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. the descendants of the nearly 1,000-year-old objects made in Africa. [90][91] His reign is considered the golden age of Mali. Inside the world's wealthiest", "Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) | National Geographic Society", "The 25 richest people who ever lived inflation adjusted", "Civilization VI the Official Site | News | Civilization VI: Gathering Storm Mansa Musa Leads Mali", International Journal of African Historical Studies, "Searching for History in The Sunjata Epic: The Case of Fakoli", "chos d'Arabie. [108] Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian explorer, recorded that the Mali Empire was the most powerful entity on the coast in 1454. [84] Then an enslaved court official, Sakura, seized power. Hamana (or Amana), southwest of Joma, became the southern sphere, with its capital at Kouroussa in modern Guinea. His 25-year reign (1312-1337 CE) is described as "the golden age of . Dates: 4001591 C. E.", "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? Mansa Musa was the great-great-grandson of Sunjata, who was the founder of the empire 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. Three bowmen supporting one spearman was the ratio in Kaabu and the Gambia by the mid-16th century. We care about our planet! 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. [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 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. The fame of Mansa Musa and his phenomenal wealth spread as he traveled on his hajjto Mecca. [136] While it was as good as gold in the north, it was even better in the south. 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 . Mansa Musa was the great nephew of Sundiata Keita, who was founder . He brought a large entourage with him which impressed people everywhere they went. [8] Mansa, 'ruler'[9] or 'king'[10] in Mand, was the title of the ruler of the Mali Empire. Through the oral tradition of griots, the Keita dynasty, from which nearly every Mali emperor came, claims to trace its lineage back to Lawalo, one of the sons of Bilal,[60] the faithful muezzin of Islam's prophet Muhammad, who was said to have migrated into Mali and his descendants established the ruling Keita dynasty through Maghan Kon Fatta, father of Sundiata Keita.[61]. The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". His elaborate pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in 1324 introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Mali borrowed the practice to stem inflation of the substance, since it was so prominent in the region. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes. 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. 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. [74] The combined forces of northern and southern Manden defeated the Sosso army at the Battle of Kirina (then known as Krina) in approximately 1235. [70] These men had to be of the horon (freemen) caste and appear with their own arms. When he did finally bow, he said he was doing so for God alone. The other major source of information comes from Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots.[5]. 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. As a result of this the empire fell. Bowmen formed a large portion of the field army as well as the garrison. [60] In return for their submission, they became "farbas", a combination of the Mandinka words "farin" and "ba" (great farin). [86] Fajigi is remembered as having traveled to Mecca to retrieve ceremonial objects known as boliw, which feature in Mand traditional religion. Musa stayed in Cairo for three months, departing on 18 October[k] with the official caravan to Mecca. [83] This term was used interchangeably with dinar, though it is unclear if coined currency was used in the empire. After Ibn Khaldun's death in 1406, there are no further Arab primary sources except for Leo Africanus, who wrote over a century later. [19], Much of what is known about Musa comes from Arabic sources written after his hajj, especially the writings of Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun. However, his riches are only one part of his legacy, and he is also remembered for his Islamic faith, promotion of scholarship, and patronage of culture in Mali. Khalifa would shoot arrows at his subjects, so he was overthrown and killed. The city's water supply was a leading cause to its successes in trade. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. The Mandinka went on to form the powerful and rich Mali Empire, which produced the richest Black man who ever lived, King Mansa Musa. 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. Musa and his entourage arrived at the outskirts of Cairo in July 1324. [18], In the Songhai language, rulers of Mali such as Musa were known as the Mali-koi, koi being a title that conveyed authority over a region: in other words, the "ruler of Mali". One of these was Dioma, an area south of Niani populated by Fula Wassoulounk. [d], Musa's father was named Faga Leye[12] and his mother may have been named Kanku. [119], It would be the Mandinka themselves that would cause the final destruction of the empire. Umari also describes the empire as being south of Marrakesh and almost entirely inhabited except for few places. 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. [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. In the 1450s, Portugal began sending raiding parties along the Gambian coast. [149], Imperial banner carried with Musa I in 1325 Hajj, Social, economic and governmental reformation. Please check the original source(s) for copyright information. [60] The anglicised version of this name, Sunjata, is also popular. All rights reserved. [8] Suleyman's death marked the end of Mali's Golden Age and the beginning of a slow decline. [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. This thread is archived In 1307, Mansa Musa came to the throne after a series of civil wars and ruled for thirty years. [56] Musa and his entourage lingered in Mecca after the last day of the hajj. Duties of the farba included reporting on the activities of the territory, collecting taxes and ensuring the native administration didn't contradict orders from Niani. Heusch, Luc de: "The Symbolic Mechanisms of Sacred Kingship: Rediscovering Frazer". Several of the names are spelled in a variety of ways in different manuscripts. [81] The territory of the Mali Empire was at its height during the reigns of Musa and his brother Sulayman, and covered the Sudan-Sahel region of West Africa. Not only do we pay for our servers, but also for related services such as our content delivery network, Google Workspace, email, and much more. [43] Perhaps because of this, Musa's early reign was spent in continuous military conflict with neighboring non-Muslim societies. [12][h] Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali during the reign of Musa's brother Sulayman, said that Musa's grandfather was named Sariq Jata. The Songhai kingdom measured several hundreds of miles across, so that the conquest meant the acquisition of a vast territory. Regardless of their title in the province, they were recognised as dyamani-tigui (province-master) by the mansa. [12] However, these hypotheses have been rejected by locals and are inconsistent with the apparent cognate status of Mali and Mand.[19]. 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. Mansa Musa was very wealthy and religious man who went on his Hajj for religious reasons and to also help people from his empire make the holy trip to Mecca for the god Allah. Accounts of how many people and how much gold he spent vary. However, from 1507 onwards neighboring states such as Diara, Great Fulo and the Songhai Empire chipped away at the outer borders of Mali. Among these are references to "Pene" and "Malal" in the work of al-Bakri in 1068,[53][54] the story of the conversion of an early ruler, known to Ibn Khaldun (by 1397) as Barmandana,[55] and a few geographical details in the work of al-Idrisi. 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]. Stride, G. T., & C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 10001800". The third great account is that of Ibn Khaldun, who wrote in the early 15th century. Mss rule defined the golden age of Mali. [69] The Kangaba province, free of Sonink influence, splintered into twelve kingdoms with their own maghan (meaning prince) or faama. This is the first account of a West African kingdom made directly by an eyewitness; the others are usually second-hand. [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. He became emperor in 1307. In 1330, the kingdom of Mossi invaded and conquered the city of Timbuktu. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. His information about the empire came from visiting Malians taking the hajj, or pilgrim's voyage to Mecca. In this lesson, students read one recent blog post about Musa I of Mali's wealth, followed by two historical documents from the fourteenth-century, to answer the question: Was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca from 1324 to 1326. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. [e] After the loss of the first expedition, Muhammad led the second expedition himself. It contained three immense gold mines within its borders unlike the Ghana Empire, which was only a transit point for gold. The Keitas retreated to the town of Kangaba, where they became provincial chiefs. His name was Mansa Musa, and he was a devout Muslim. 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. Scholars who were mainly interested in history, Qurnic theology, and law were to make the mosque of Sankore in Timbuktu a teaching centre and to lay the foundations of the University of Sankore. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. He's especially famous for his hajj to Mecca, during which he sponsored numerous mosques and madrases, and supposedly spent so much gold along the way that the metal was severely devalued, which for many people was not a very good thing. The ton-tigi belonged to an elite force of cavalry commanders called the farari ("brave men"). Each individual farariya ("brave") had a number of infantry officers beneath them called kl-koun or dknsi. Under his leadership, Mali conquered new territories and trade with North Africa increased. Biti, Buti, Yiti, Tati). No single Keita ever ruled Manden after Mahmud Keita IV's death, resulting in the end of the Mali Empire. Combined in the rapidly spoken language of the Mandinka, the names formed Sondjata, Sundjata or Sundiata Keita. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. Mansa Musa came from his country with 80 loads of gold dust (tibr), each load weighing three qintars. [87] The figure of Fajigi combines both Islam and traditional beliefs. [95] Musa himself further promoted the appearance of having vast, inexhaustible wealth by spreading rumors that gold grew like a plant in his kingdom. 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. Musa gave the gold to the poor he met along his route. [36][37][38], According to the Tarikh al-Fattash, Musa had a wife named Inari Konte. Eventually, due to Muhammad's failure to return, Musa was recognized as mansa.[89]. UsefulCharts, . [26] Sariq Jata may be another name for Sunjata, who was actually Musa's great-uncle. With a global population of some 11 million, the Mandinka are the best-known ethnic group of the Mande peoples, all of whom speak different dialects of the Mande language. [40] In fact, there is a conspicuous absence of archaeological samples of any kind from Niani dated to the late 13th through early 15th centuries, suggesting that Niani may have been uninhabited during the heyday of the Mali Empire. His generous gifts to Mamluk Egypt and his expenditure of gold caused significant inflation in Egypt. Rather, authority would rest with the mansa and his court, wherever he went. 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). What is evident is that there is no steady lineage governing the empire. Manuscript of Nasir al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Hajj al-Amin al-Tawathi al-Ghalawi's Kashf al-Ghummah fi Nafa al-Ummah. ", "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen Age", "Towards a New Study of the So-Called Trkh al-fattsh", World History Encyclopedia Mansa Musa I, History Channel: Mansa Moussa: Pilgrimage of Gold, Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mansa_Musa&oldid=1142573327, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Mansa Musa was portrayed in two games in the, Mansa Musa was portrayed in the episode ", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 05:05. Today, his net worth is estimated to have been $400 billion. Mahmud Keita, possibly a grandchild or great-grandchild of Mansa Gao Keita, was crowned Mansa Maghan Keita III in 1390. His equipment furnishings were carried by 12.000 private slave women (Wasaif) wearing gown and brocade (dibaj) and Yemeni silk []. Web. Mansa Ms probably died in 1332. [113], In 1544 or 1545,[f] a Songhai force led by kanfari Dawud, who would later succeed his brother Askia Ishaq as ruler of the Songhai Empire, sacked the capital of Mali and purportedly used the royal palace as a latrine. The only Mandinka power spared from the campaign was Kangaba. Musa I (known more commonly as Mansa Musa) was the tenth Mansa (a Mandinka word for "emperor") of the Mali Empire. [14], Medieval sources are divided over whether Mali is the name of a town or a region. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. The empire began as a small Mandinka kingdom at the upper reaches of the Niger River, centered around the Manding region. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. One of the five pillars of Islam states that Muslims should embark on a pilgrimage known as Hajj, to the holy city of Mecca.. [142][143] Numerous sources attest that the inland waterways of West Africa saw extensive use of war canoes and vessels used for war transport where permitted by the environment. There is some ambiguity over the identity of the mansa responsible for the voyages. [70] Gbr Keita was crowned Mansa Ouali Keita II and ruled during the period of Mali's contact with Portugal. When Mansa Musa was giving gold away, he was following 2 . The only major setback to his reign was the loss of Mali's Dyolof province in Senegal. [120], The old core of the empire was divided into three spheres of influence. 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. [45] He would have spent much time fostering the growth of the religion within his empire. This trend would continue into colonial times against Tukulor enemies from the west.[121]. The Bamana, likewise, vowed not to advance farther upstream than Niamina. The latter told Ibn Khaldun about devastating struggle over Gao between Mali imperial forces against Berber Tuareg forces from Takedda. [96], According to some Arabic writers, Musa's gift-giving caused a depreciation in the value of gold in Egypt. A Golden Age: King Mansa Musa's Reign. Mansa Musa's reign itself was 25 years long. Jansen, Jan: "The Younger Brother and the Stranger. "Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali." Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. [70] However, once Sundiata did gain use of his legs he grew strong and very respected. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali Server Costs Fundraiser 2023 Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. The Gao mosque was built of burnt bricks, which had not, until then, been used as a material for building in West Africa. In 1203, the Sosso king Soumaoro of the Kant clan came to power and reportedly terrorised much of Manden stealing women and goods from both Dodougou and Kri. Abu Bakr was the first and only mansa to inherit through the female line, which has been argued to be either a break from or a return to tradition. Kangaba, the de facto capital of Manden since the time of the last emperor, became the capital of the northern sphere. World History Encyclopedia, 17 Oct 2020. [83] He is criticized for being unfaithful to tradition, and some of the jeliw regard Musa as having wasted Mali's wealth. That same year, Mahmud II sent another envoy to the Portuguese proposing alliance against the Fula. [9] Upon Leo Africanus's visit at the beginning of the 16th century, his descriptions of the territorial domains of Mali showed that it was still a kingdom of considerable size. By the end of Mansa Musa's reign, the Sankor University had been converted into a fully staffed university with the largest collections of books in Africa since the Library of Alexandria. published on 17 October 2020. He is also called Hidji Mansa . During Musa's 25-year-rule the Mali Empire more than tripled in size and had significant influence in several modern day countries including Mauritania, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkino Faso and Chad. [124] Following this disastrous set of events, Mansa Mama Maghan abandoned the capital of Niani. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. [82], Musa is less renowned in Mand oral tradition as performed by the jeliw. [70] Little is known of him except that he only reigned two years. Although this time in the kingdom was prosperous, Mali's wealth and power soon declined. Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. During this period, there was an advanced level of urban living in the major centers of Mali. The emperor himself rode on horseback and was directly preceded by 500 enslaved persons, each carrying a gold-adorned staff. [114] However, the Songhai do not maintain their hold on the Malian capital. In 1542, the Songhai invaded the capital city but were unsuccessful in conquering the empire. At the height of its power, Mali had at least 400 cities, and the interior of the Niger Delta was very densely populated. Musa and his entourage gave and spent freely while in Cairo. [67] The Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. It was cut into pieces and spent on goods with close to equal buying power throughout the empire. When Musa departed Mali for the hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali. [120] Each ruler used the title of mansa, but their authority only extended as far as their own sphere of influence. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted.
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