The date of Mansa Musa's death is not certain. It then seized Timbuktu from the Tuareg in 1468 under Sunni Ali Ber. Ibn Battuta observed the employment of servants in both towns. Timbuktu was a place of trade, entertainment, and education. [108] Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian explorer, recorded that the Mali Empire was the most powerful entity on the coast in 1454. Candice Goucher, Charles LeGuin, and Linda Walton. The other major source of information comes from Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots.[5]. The value of the salt was chiefly determined by the transport costs. His riches came from the mining of significant gold and salt deposits in the Mali Empire, along with the slave and ivory trade.[6][7]. 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. During this period only the Mongol Empire was larger. [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. Ibn Battuta had written that in Taghaza there were no trees and there is only sand and the salt mines. Ibn Battuta, who visited the capital city from 1352 to 1353, called it Mali. But more reasoned analysis suggests that his role, if any, was quite limited. In this lesson, students read one recent blog post about Musa I of Mali's wealth, followed by two historical documents from the fourteenth-century, to answer the question: Was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? King of Kings in the Mandinka language a reference to a great ruler in the Mali Empire of ancient Africa. 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. 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. [26][17] Ibn Khaldun said that he "was an upright man and a great king, and tales of his justice are still told."[101]. The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. [47][48][49] His procession reportedly included 60,000 men, all wearing brocade and Persian silk, including 12,000 slaves,[50] who each carried 1.8kg (4lb) of gold bars, and heralds dressed in silks, who bore gold staffs, organized horses, and handled bags. Please check the original source(s) for copyright information. World History Encyclopedia. According to the records of Ibn Battuta,[138][139] copper which traded in bars was mined from Takedda in the north and traded in the south for gold. [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. He belonged to the Keita Dynasty and came to power after Abu-Bakra-Keita II left on an expedition to explore the Atlantic Ocean, leaving Musa as his deputy and never returned. "Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali." [93] He did not, however, hold the power of previous mansas because of the influence of his kankoro-sigui. Omissions? Most notably, the ancient center of learning Sankore Madrasah (or University of Sankore) was constructed during his reign. 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 . Mali's wealth in gold did not primarily come from direct rule of gold-producing regions, but rather from tribute and trade with the regions where gold was found. Umari also describes the empire as being south of Marrakesh and almost entirely inhabited except for few places. [93] Mansa Souleyman's generals successfully fought off the military incursions, and the senior wife Kassi behind the plot was imprisoned. Mansa Musa was the great-great-grandson of Sunjata, who was the founder of the empire of Mali. [70] Little is known of him except that he only reigned two years. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. 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 Songhai kingdom measured several hundreds of miles across, so that the conquest meant the acquisition of a vast territory. When Musa departed Mali for the hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence. 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. Mansa Musa returned from Mecca with several Islamic scholars, including direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad and an Andalusian poet and architect by the name of Abu Es Haq es Saheli,. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2147/mansa-musa-family-tree--empire-of-mali/. The salt was dug from the ground and cut into thick slabs, two of which were loaded onto each camel where they would be taken south across the desert to Oualata and sold. Musa's name Kanku Musa means "Musa son of Kanku", but the genealogy may not be literal. While Musa's palace has since vanished, the university and mosque still stand in Timbuktu today. [73], Prince Sundjata was prophesied to become a great conqueror. The lands of Bambougou, Jalo (Fouta Djallon), and Kaabu were added into Mali by Fakoli Koroma (Nkrumah in Ghana, Kurumah in the Gambia, Colley in Casamance, Senegal),[70] Fran Kamara (Camara) and Tiramakhan Traore (Tarawelley in the Gambia),[77] respectively Among the many different ethnic groups surrounding Manden were Pulaar speaking groups in Macina, Tekrur and Fouta Djallon. Mansa Musa was a smart, powerful, competent Islamic autocrat who ruled over and expanded the Malian empire. He attempted to make Islam the faith of the nobility,[93] but kept to the imperial tradition of not forcing it on the populace. [44] Niani's reputation as an imperial capital may derive from its importance in the late imperial period, when the Songhai Empire to the northeast pushed Mali back to the Manding heartland. He also states that Djata or "Jatah" means "lion". [86] After Sakura's death, power returned to the line of Sunjata, with Wali's son Qu taking the throne. At both Gao and Timbuktu, a Songhai city almost rivalling Gao in importance, Mansa Ms commissioned Ab Isq al-Sil, a Granada poet and architect who had travelled with him from Mecca, to build mosques. Mansa Ms, either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, came to the throne in 1307. 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. 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. The kingdom of Mali reached its greatest extent around the same time, a bustling, wealthy kingdom thanks to Mansa Musas expansion and administration.Mansa Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. The most common measure for gold within the realm was the ambiguous mithqal (4.5grams of gold). [20] Arab interest in the Mali Empire declined after the Songhai conquered the northern regions of the empire which formed the primary contact between Mali and the Arab world. 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. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. The history of the Mandinka started in Manding region. [110] Meanwhile, Songhai seized the salt mines of Taghazza in 1493. By the time of his death in 1337, Mali had control over Taghazza, a salt-producing area in the north, which further strengthened its treasury. He had so much gold that during his hajj to Mecca, the Mansa passed out gold to all the poor along the way. The voyage is often incorrectly attributed to a Mansa Abu Bakr II, but no such mansa ever reigned. [82], Musa is less renowned in Mand oral tradition as performed by the jeliw. Under his reign, Mali conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Songhai. Biti, Buti, Yiti, Tati). [56] Musa and his entourage lingered in Mecca after the last day of the hajj. Musa gave the gold to the poor he met along his route. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday. 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"). The empire began as a small Mandinka kingdom at the upper reaches of the Niger River, centered around the Manding region. Al-Umari's list, which is quoted with slight differences by al-Qalqashandi, is as follows: Al-Umari also indicates that four Amazigh tribes were subjects of Mali: Gomez instead suggests that these tribes would have inhabited territory in the vicinity of Mema, Ghana, and Diafunu. It is known from the Tarikh al-Sudan that Mali was still a sizeable state in the 15th century. [78] There was evidently a power struggle of some kind involving the gbara or great council and donson ton or hunter guilds. In the interregnum following Sunjata's death, the jomba or court slaves may have held power. During the 17th century, the Mali Empire faced incursions from the Bamana Empire. Mansa Musa was the great nephew of Sundiata Keita, who was founder . Ibn Khaldun recorded that in 776 A.H or 1374/1375 AD he interviewed a Sijilmasan scholar named Muhammad b. Wasul who had lived in Gao and had been employed in its judiciary. [45] He would have spent much time fostering the growth of the religion within his empire. Mansa Souleyman Keita died in 1360 and was succeeded by his son, Camba Keita. The University of Sankore in Timbuktu was restaffed under Musa's reign with jurists, astronomers, and mathematicians. Today, his net worth is estimated to have been $400 billion. Mss rule defined the golden age 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. 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. [131] Mansa Musa placed a heavy tax on all objects that went through Timbuktu. Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. We all know of Mansa Musa, possibly the richest man to ever exist. 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. We care about our planet! Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. [136] While it was as good as gold in the north, it was even better in the south. Lange, Dierk (1996), "The Almoravid expansion and the downfall of Ghana", Der Islam 73 (2): 313351. Songhai forces under the command of Askia Muhammad I defeated the Mali general Fati Quali Keita in 1502 and seized the province of Diafunu. 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. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Musa was a Muslim, and his pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as hajj, made him well known across Northern Africa and the Middle East. He intended to abdicate the throne and return to Mecca but died before he was able to do so. 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. [40], Musa was a young man when he became mansa, possibly in his early twenties. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. . While in Mecca, conflict broke out between a group of Malian pilgrims and a group of Turkic pilgrims in the Masjid al-Haram. Mansa Musa Keita was succeeded by his son, Maghan Keita I, in 1337. 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. After the reigns of two more emperors, Musa Keita became mansa in c. 1312. 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]. Between 1324 - 1325, Mansa Musa . [119], It would be the Mandinka themselves that would cause the final destruction of the empire. In that year he succeeded his father, Abu Bakr II, to the throne and thus gained the hereditary title of mansa. [23] Numbered individuals reigned as mansa; the numbers indicate the order in which they reigned. Musa made his pilgrimage between 1324 and 1325 spanning 2,700 miles. The oldest brother, Srbandjougou Keita, was crowned Mansa Foamed or Mansa Musa Keita III. [99] The gold Musa brought on his pilgrimage probably represented years of accumulated tribute that Musa would have spent much of his early reign gathering. Musa is known for his wealth and generosity. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. Musa embarked on a large building program, raising mosques and madrasas in Timbuktu and Gao. [120] Each ruler used the title of mansa, but their authority only extended as far as their own sphere of influence. 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. Included in al-Qalqashandi's quotation of al-'Umari, but not in any manuscript of al-'Umari's text itself, which only list thirteen provinces despite saying there are fourteen. This enabled him to rule over a realm larger than even the Ghana Empire in its apex. Mansa Musa even built the Great Mosque of Djenn, one of the most famous mosques in Mali, to recognize his pilgrimage. [42] Among these preparations would likely have been raids to capture and enslave people from neighboring lands, as Musa's entourage would include many thousands of enslaved people; the historian Michael Gomez estimates that Mali may have captured over 6,000 people per year for this purpose. Mali's domain also extended into the desert. Scholars have located the capital in Niani, or somewhere on the Niger, or proposed that it changed several times, that there was no true capital, or even that it lay as far afield as the upper Gambia River in modern-day Senegal. While the accounts are of limited length, they provide a fairly good picture of the empire at its height. Al-Umari said that before Musa's arrival, a mithqal of gold was worth 25 silver dirhams, but that it dropped to less than 22 dirhams afterward and did not go above that number for at least twelve years. UsefulCharts, . Arab writers from the time said that he travelled with an entourage of tens of thousands of people and dozens of camels, each carrying 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of gold. [46] Kangaba became the last refuge of the Keita royal family after the collapse of the Mali Empire, and so has for centuries been associated with Sundiata in the cultural imagination of Mande peoples. [92] He was one of the first truly devout Muslims to lead the Mali Empire. Updates? However, many believe Mansa Musa's wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires. [117], The swan song of the Mali Empire came in 1599, under the reign of Mansa Mahmud IV. [11][b] In Mand tradition, it was common for one's name to be prefixed by their mother's name, so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the genealogy implied is literal. [86] Qu was succeeded by his son Muhammad, who launched two voyages to explore the Atlantic Ocean. [102] The text of Ibn Khaldun says "Gao, at this time is devastated". [g] Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of the Mali Empire. This led to inflation throughout the kingdom. "[96], Contemporary sources suggest that the mounts employed by this caravan were one hundred elephants, which carried those loads of gold, and several hundred camels, carrying the food, supplies and weaponries which were brought to the rear.[97]. It spanned the modern-day countries of Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and northern Ghana. 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. [25] The empire also reached its highest population during the Laye period ruling over 400 cities,[26] towns and villages of various religions and elasticities. Jansen, Jan: "The Younger Brother and the Stranger. During this period, there was an advanced level of urban living in the major centers of Mali. He also brought architects from the Middle East and across Africa to design new buildings for his cities. [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". [78] Nehemia Levtzion regarded 1337 as the most likely date,[72] which has been accepted by other scholars. 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. [112] Still, no help came from the envoy and further possessions of Mali were lost one by one. Last modified October 17, 2020. Mansa Abu Bakr II had departed on a large fleet of ships to explore the Atlantic Ocean, and never returned.Mansa Musa inherited a kingdom that was already wealthy, but his work in expanding trade made Mali the wealthiest kingdom in Africa. To his parents' dread, the prince did not have a promising start. The Venetian explorer Alvise Cadamosto and Portuguese traders confirmed that the peoples of the Gambia were still subject to the mansa of Mali. That same year, Mahmud II sent another envoy to the Portuguese proposing alliance against the Fula. 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. to 1337 C.E. 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. Stride, G. T., & C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 10001800". Original video by UsefulCharts. [83] This term was used interchangeably with dinar, though it is unclear if coined currency was used in the empire. However, it went through radical changes before reaching the legendary proportions proclaimed by its subjects. [43] In 1324, while in Cairo, Musa said that he had conquered 24 cities and their surrounding districts.[44]. The earliest document mentioning the mosque is Abd al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan, which gives the early history, presumably from the oral tradition as it existed in the mid seventeenth century. [45] Those animals included 80 camels which each carried 23136kg (50300lb) of gold dust. [22], Genealogy of the mansas of the Mali Empire up to Magha II (d.c.1389), based on Levtzion's interpretation of Ibn Khaldun. Despite the faama of Niani's wishes to respect the prophecy and put Sundiata on the throne, the son from his first wife Sassouma Brt was crowned instead. Evidence of cavalry in terracotta figures suggest the empire's prosperous economy as horses are not indigenous to Africa. [95] Musa himself further promoted the appearance of having vast, inexhaustible wealth by spreading rumors that gold grew like a plant in his kingdom. Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of an urban civilization. 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. 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. Then, in 1630, the Bamana of Djenn declared their version of holy war on all Muslim powers in present-day Mali. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. [20] Additional information comes from two 17th-century manuscripts written in Timbuktu, the Tarikh Ibn al-Mukhtar[c] and the Tarikh al-Sudan. [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. Imperial Mali's horsemen also used iron helmet and mail armour for defence[146] as well as shields similar to those of the infantry. [135] Gold nuggets were the exclusive property of the mansa and were illegal to trade within his borders. UsefulCharts, . These farbas would rule their old kingdoms in the name of the mansa with most of the authority they held prior to joining the empire. [133], There was no standard currency throughout the realm, but several forms were prominent by region. Sundiata Keita is the first ruler for which there is accurate written information (through Ibn Khaldun). The child of this marriage received the first name of his mother (Sogolon) and the surname of his father (Djata). The 14th-century traveller Ibn Baah noted that it took about four months to travel from the northern borders of the Mali empire to Niani in the south. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". After Ibn Khaldun's death in 1406, there are no further Arab primary sources except for Leo Africanus, who wrote over a century later. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. [100], Arabic writers, such as Ibn Battuta and Abdallah ibn Asad al-Yafii, praised Musa's generosity, virtue, and intelligence. Via one of the royal ladies of his court, Musa transformed Sankore from an informal madrasah into an Islamic university. Three bowmen supporting one spearman was the ratio in Kaabu and the Gambia by the mid-16th century. This style is characterised by the use of mudbricks and an adobe plaster, with large wooden-log support beams that jut out from the wall face for large buildings such as mosques or palaces. Many houses were built by hand and during the hot weather some houses would melt so they had to be very secure, The dating of the original Great Mosque's construction is obscure (the current structure, built under French Colonial Rule, dates from 1907). Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: , romanized:Ms), the Arabic form of Moses. Still, by the time of Mansa Musa Keita II's death in 1387, Mali was financially solvent and in control of all of its previous conquests short of Gao and Dyolof. [11][12] The version recorded by medieval Arab geographers is Mali (Arabic: , romanized:Ml). [60] The anglicised version of this name, Sunjata, is also popular. [70] The mansa lost control of Jalo during this period. The Portuguese decided to stay out of the conflict and the talks concluded by 1495 without an alliance.[110]. He ruled the nation for nearly 25 years until his death in 1337 and is . Intro animation: Syawish Rehman. He could read and write Arabic and took an interest in the scholarly city of Timbuktu, which he peaceably annexed in 1324.