They are descendants of. [49] It has been suggested that the name given in the Arabic sources for the capital of Mali is derived the Manding word "bambi", meaning "dais", and as such refers to the "seat of government" in general rather than being the name of a specific city. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [93] Mansa Souleyman's generals successfully fought off the military incursions, and the senior wife Kassi behind the plot was imprisoned. Le Plerinage La Mecque de Mansa Musa (724725/13241325) d'aprs des Nouvelles Sources", "The Big Secret of Celebrity Wealth (Is That No One Knows Anything)", The International Journal of African Historical Studies, "West African empires. He ruled oppressively and nearly bankrupted Mali with his lavish spending. 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 a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. [129] The county level administrators called kafo-tigui (county-master) were appointed by the governor of the province from within his own circle. More than sixty years after the reign of Sundiata Keita, one of his descendants rose to become the King of Mali. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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] Manden was split in half with the Dodougou territory to the northeast and the Kri territory to the southwest. [67] The Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. This is one of the main factors to the fall of the kingdom. 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. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. He is also called Hidji Mansa . In the 1450s, Portugal began sending raiding parties along the Gambian coast. [70][141] With the help of the river clans, this army could be deployed throughout the realm on short notice. [86], The name "Musa" has become virtually synonymous with pilgrimage in Mand tradition, such that other figures who are remembered as going on a pilgrimage, such as Fakoli, are also called Musa. The farimba operated from a garrison with an almost entirely slave force, while a farima functioned on field with virtually all freemen. [105][106] Three years later, Oualata also fell into their hands. Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. [116] Songhai authority over Bendugu and Kala declined by 1571, and Mali may have been able to reassert some authority over them. The date of Mahmud's death and identity of his immediate successor are not recorded, and there is a gap of 65 years before another mansa's identity is recorded. [86] Fajigi is remembered as having traveled to Mecca to retrieve ceremonial objects known as boliw, which feature in Mand traditional religion. Maghan Sundiata was declared "faama of faamas" and received the title "mansa", which translates as "king". 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. 24 June, 2022. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. Embedded by Arienne King, published on 17 October 2020. [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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Biti, Buti, Yiti, Tati). The Catalan Atlas, created in 1375 C.E. Mansa Ms left a realm notable for its extent and richeshe built the Great Mosque at Timbuktubut he is best remembered in the Middle East and Europe for the splendour of his pilgrimage to Mecca (1324). After the loyalty or at least the capitulation of an area was assured, it was allowed to select its own dyamani-tigui. Musa is reported to have reigned for 25 years, and different lines of evidence suggest he died either. [7] Maghan I succeeded his father as mansa in 1337, but was deposed by his uncle Suleyman in 1341. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. [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. Yet native sources seem to pay him little attention. The Mali Empire (Manding: Mand[3] or Manden; Arabic: , romanized:Ml) was an empire in West Africa from c. 1226 to 1670. so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the genealogy implied is literal. In 1330, the kingdom of Mossi invaded and conquered the city of Timbuktu. 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. Thank you for your help! [39] Her jamu (clan name) Konte is shared with both Sunjata's mother Sogolon Konte and his arch-enemy Sumanguru Konte. Longman, 1995. Mansa Musa (1280-1337) Mansa Musa, fourteenth century emperor of the Mali Empire, is the medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa. They founded the first village of the Manding, Kirikoroni, then Kirina, Siby, Kita. The identification of Niani as imperial capital is rooted in an (possibly erroneous) interpretation of the Arab traveler al Umari's work, as well as some oral histories. [93] Sandaki Keita should not however be taken to be this person's name but a title. He ruled between 707-732/737 according to the Islamic calendar (AH), which translates to 1307-1332/1337 CE. 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. Mansa Musa was immensely wealthy (whether he can be regarded as personally wealthy or wealthy because he controlled the gold mines of Mali is, of course, a . Mama Maghan, mansa of Kangaba, campaigned against the Bamana in 1667 and laid siege to SegouKoro for a reported three years. [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 other characteristic of this era is the gradual loss of its northern and eastern possessions to the rising Songhai Empire and the movement of the Mali's economic focus from the trans-Saharan trade routes to the burgeoning commerce along the coast. Only sofa were equipped by the state, using bows and poisoned arrows. 4. Musa's death may have occurred in 1337, 1332, or possibly even earlier, giving 1307 or 1312 as plausible approximate years of accession. 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. In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. It is unknown from whom he descended; however, another emperor, Mansa Maghan Keita III, is sometimes cited as Mansa Mahmud Keita I. [d], Musa's father was named Faga Leye[12] and his mother may have been named Kanku. "[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. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". 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. [15], Musa ascended to power in the early 1300s[i] under unclear circumstances. 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. [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. [90] CelebrityNetWorth has been criticized for the unreliability of its estimates. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. 1214 c. 1255) and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita). Musa stayed in the Qarafa district of Cairo, and befriended its governor, Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned much about Mali from him. Gold dust was used all over the empire, but was not valued equally in all regions. the descendants of the nearly 1,000-year-old objects made in Africa. [70] The mansa lost control of Jalo during this period. Musa not only gave to the cities he passed on the way to Mecca, including Cairo and Medina, but also traded gold for souvenirs. Islamic studies flourished thereafter. [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. The only major setback to his reign was the loss of Mali's Dyolof province in Senegal. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. 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. [16], Al-Yafii gave Musa's name as Musa ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi al-Aswad (Arabic: , romanized:Ms ibn Ab Bakr ibn Ab al-Aswad),[17] and Ibn Hajar gave Musa's name as Musa ibn Abi Bakr Salim al-Takruri. [84] Then an enslaved court official, Sakura, seized power. [48], Parallel to this debate, many scholars have argued that the Mali Empire may not have had a permanent "capital" in the sense that the word is used today, and historically was used in the Mediterranean world. [40] Seemingly contradictory reports written by Arab visitors, a lack of definitive archaeological evidence, and the diversity of oral traditions all contribute to this uncertainty. [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. [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. [46] Every year merchants entered Mali via Oualata with camel loads of salt to sell in Niani. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. Regardless of their title in the province, they were recognised as dyamani-tigui (province-master) by the mansa. He did however, maintain contacts with Morocco, sending a giraffe to King Abu Hassan. [117], The swan song of the Mali Empire came in 1599, under the reign of Mansa Mahmud IV. It had a well-organised army with an elite corps of horsemen and many foot soldiers in each battalion. Ibn Battuta had written that in Taghaza there were no trees and there is only sand and the salt mines. According to Burkinab writer Joseph Ki-Zerbo, the farther a person travelled from Niani, the more decentralised the mansa's power became. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. Another testimony from Ibn Khaldun describes the grand pilgrimage of Mansa Musa consisting of 12,000 slaves: "He made a pilgrimage in 724/1324 []. They also used flaming arrows for siege warfare. [43] Djibril Tamsir Niane, a Guinean historian, has been a forceful advocate of this position in recent decades. There are a few references to Mali in early Islamic literature. Mansa Souleyman Keita died in 1360 and was succeeded by his son, Camba Keita. He had first-hand information from several sources, and from a second-hand source, he learned of the visit of Mansa Musa. 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. [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". [123] Segou, defended by Bitn Coulibaly, successfully defended itself and Mama Maghan was forced to withdraw. The final incarnation of the Gbara, according to the surviving traditions of northern Guinea, held 32 positions occupied by 28 clans. Rather, authority would rest with the mansa and his court, wherever he went. [51] Musa made a major point of showing off his nation's wealth. [81] He was replaced by Abu Bakr, a son of Sunjata's daughter. Musa provided all necessities for the procession, feeding the entire company of men and animals. King of Kings in the Mandinka language a reference to a great ruler in the Mali Empire of ancient Africa. Much of the history is oral, given by professional "historians". This is the first account of a West African kingdom made directly by an eyewitness; the others are usually second-hand. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musas developments. 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. Ms Is pilgrimage caravan to Mecca in 1324 comprised some 60,000 people and an immeasurable amount of gold. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. [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. His reign came with huge physical, economic and intellectual development in the Mali Empire. by UsefulCharts. 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"). Mansa Musa Keita's crowning achievement was his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, which started in 1324 and concluded with his return in 1326. The organization and smooth administration of a purely African empire, the founding of the University of Sankore, the expansion of trade in Timbuktu, the architectural innovations in Gao, Timbuktu, and Niani and, indeed, throughout the whole of Mali and in the subsequent Songhai empire are all testimony to Mansa Mss superior administrative gifts. [14], Medieval sources are divided over whether Mali is the name of a town or a region. There is some ambiguity over the identity of the mansa responsible for the voyages. 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]. Still, when Ibn Battuta arrived at Mali in July 1352, he found a thriving civilisation on par with virtually anything in the Muslim or Christian world. [71] The tiny kingdom of Niani was one of several in the Kri area of Manden. [108] Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian explorer, recorded that the Mali Empire was the most powerful entity on the coast in 1454. 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. Available from http://incompetech.com. [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. 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. He recruited scholars from the wider Muslim world to travel to Mali, such as the Andalusian poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, and helped establish Timbuktu as a center of Islamic learning. 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. Malink, also known as Mande, Mali, or Melle, was founded around 1200 CE, and under Mansa Musa's reign . After unsuccessful attempts by Mansa Mama Maghan to conquer Bamana, the Bamana in 1670 sacked and burned the capital, and the Mali Empire rapidly disintegrated and ceased to exist, being replaced by independent chiefdoms. Under his leadership, Mali conquered new territories and trade with North Africa increased. Muhummed's three wivesMarva Barfield, Laura Cowan, and Adrienne Easterwere also sexually assaulted, beaten, and imprisoned; Barfield participated in the children's abuse at Muhummed's instruction, and Cowan has also been accused of participating in the abuse. Jansen, Jan: "The Younger Brother and the Stranger. At each halt, he would regale us [his entourage] rare foods and confectionery. Lange, Dierk (1996), "The Almoravid expansion and the downfall of Ghana", Der Islam 73 (2): 313351. [24] The empire's total area included nearly all the land between the Sahara Desert and coastal forests. In approximately 1140 the Sosso kingdom of Kaniaga, a former vassal of Wagadou, began conquering the lands of its old rulers. The oldest brother, Srbandjougou Keita, was crowned Mansa Foamed or Mansa Musa Keita III. 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. [98] Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds. Musa and his entourage gave and spent freely while in Cairo. Sakura was able to stabilize the political situation in Mali. Al-Umari reported that Mali had fourteen provinces. The Bamana, likewise, vowed not to advance farther upstream than Niamina. [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. 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. [124] Following this disastrous set of events, Mansa Mama Maghan abandoned the capital of Niani. Heusch, Luc de: "The Symbolic Mechanisms of Sacred Kingship: Rediscovering Frazer". Around 1610, Mahmud Keita IV died. Last modified October 17, 2020. Mansa Ms, whose empire was one of the largest in the world at that time, is reported to have observed that it would take a year to travel from one end of his empire to the other. The architectural crafts in Granada had reached their zenith by the fourteenth century, and its extremely unlikely that a cultured and wealthy poet would have had anything more than a dilettante's knowledge of the intricacies of contemporary architectural practice. 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. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Musa's name Kanku Musa means "Musa son of Kanku", but the genealogy may not be literal. [83] This term was used interchangeably with dinar, though it is unclear if coined currency was used in the empire. The only Mandinka power spared from the campaign was Kangaba. 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. Under Mansa Ms, Timbuktu grew to be a very important commercial city having caravan connections with Egypt and with all other important trade centres in North Africa. Gold, copper, and salt were a major source of income in the 12th century and the empire happened to be blessed with it, even more as it expanded. The new Songhai Empire conquered Mema,[93] one of Mali's oldest possessions, in 1465. The historian al-Umar, who visited Cairo 12 years after the emperors visit, found the inhabitants of this city, with a population estimated at one million, still singing the praises of Mansa Ms. [e] After the loss of the first expedition, Muhammad led the second expedition himself. 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. It was common practice during the Middle Ages for both Christian and Muslim rulers to tie their bloodline back to a pivotal figure in their faith's history, so the lineage of the Keita dynasty may be dubious at best,[62] yet African Muslim scholars like the London-based Nigerian-British cleric Sheikh Abu-Abdullah Adelabu have laid claim of divine attainments to the reign of Mansa Mousa: "in Islamic history and its science stories of Old Mali Empire and significance of Mansa Mousa by ancient Muslim historians like Shihab al-Umari, documenting histories of African legendaries like Mansa Kankan Musa did actually exist in early Arabic sources about West African history including works of the author of Subh al-a 'sha one of the final expressions of the genre of Arabic administrative literature, Ahmad al-Qalqashandi Egyptian writer, mathematician and scribe of the scroll (katib al-darj) in the Mamluk chancery in Cairo[63] as well as by the author of Kitab al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik (Book of Highways and Kingdoms) Ab Ubayd Al-Bakri, an Arab Andalusian Muslim geographer and historian emboldened Keita Dynasty", wrote Adelabu. It is implausible that Abu Bakr was Musa's father, due to the amount of time between Sunjata's reign and Musa's. Mansa Musa ruled over the Mali empire in the 14th Century, and his incredible access to gold made him arguably . 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. 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. Musa I ( Arabic: , romanized : Mans Ms, N'Ko: ; r. c. 1312 - c. 1337 [a]) was the ninth [4] mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. During the peak of the kingdom, Mali was extremely wealthy. By 1180 it had even subjugated Wagadou forcing the Sonink to pay tribute. [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. A legend claims that Sunjata transformed into a hippopotamus. 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. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. The bow figured prominently in Mandinka warfare and was a symbol of military force throughout the culture. The family tree of Mansa Musa. [136] While it was as good as gold in the north, it was even better in the south. He is the resurrected spirit of Masuta the Ascended, the second boss in the first elite dungeon, Temple of Aminishi . [80] Ibn Khaldun regarded Wali as one of Mali's greatest rulers. 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. [27] His list does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual organization of the Mali Empire,[28] and the identification of the listed provinces is controversial. Mansa Mari Djata, later named Sundiata Keita, saw the conquest of several key locals in the Mali Empire. The Mali Empire began in and was centered around the Manding region in what is now southern Mali and northeastern Guinea. [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. 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. [119], It would be the Mandinka themselves that would cause the final destruction of the empire. 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,. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2147/mansa-musa-family-tree--empire-of-mali/. Then, in 1630, the Bamana of Djenn declared their version of holy war on all Muslim powers in present-day Mali.
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