EMPIRE OF MALI Chapter 6, Section 2

Sundiata Makes Mali an Empire Located along the Niger River, people there could control river trade. Sundiata - Mali’s first strong leader. He was a warrior and a magician.

Improvements in Mali  After Sundiata conquered Ghana he took over the salt and gold trades.  He introduced cotton to Mali, which people used to make comfortable clothing. This began the cotton trade.  Soldiers began working in the fields to grow more food.

Consolidation of Power  To keep order in his empire, Sundiata took power away from local leaders.  Sundiata took the title of Mansa, which means he became a political AND religious leader.  The Mali people believed that their ancestors were spirits who provided them with food.

Mansa Musa  Mansa Musa was a Muslim king who increased the wealth, power and fame of Mali.  Because of him, Islam spread through West Africa.  During his rule, his army captured trade cities like Timbuktu.

The World Learns About Mali  In 1324, Mansa Musa left Mali on a pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca.  When he stopped in Cairo, Egypt he had nearly 100 camels, each loaded with 300 pounds of gold. 60,000 men traveled with him.  Because of this journey, Mali became known throughout the world.

Learning and Religion in Mali  Mansa Musa supported education and built schools in Timbuktu so people could study the Qur’an.  He wanted people to study the Qur’an so they were taught to read and write in Arabic.  He also hired architects to build mosques throughout the empire.  Mansa Musa wanted people to accept Islam, but he did not force them to convert. Islam became very popular in Mali.

The Fall of Mali  Some of Mali’s leaders were not strong. They were bad leaders, and this weakened the empire.  Maghan was a bad ruler. He couldn’t prevent invasions, and the raiders burned down schools and mosques.  The empire became too big to control.  Invaders began to attack and take over pieces of Mali.  By 1500 only a small area of the empire remained.