1. West African: Kingdoms

2. Mali (1312-1390) (Possible Golden Age)
a) located between gold mines in south, and salt fields in north = tax money
Mali (1300’s)
Woman gathering salt
Gold nuggets

3. Trans-Saharan Trade

4. Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

5. b) Sundiata: Mali’s first great Mansa (king) who taxed all trade in the empire.
c) Sundiata used his strong army to expand and create peace in the empire.

7. Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

8. d) Mansa Musa and accomplishments: (c.1275- 1332)
1) Considered the greatest king of Mali
2) Timbuktu: The most important trading and religious (Muslim) city in West Africa.
3) Created a “codified” (written down) system of laws, similar to Hammurabi’s Code.
Some laws of Hammurabi’s Code

9. 5) Made pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) from 1324 to 1325.
4) Mansa Musa became Muslim after the spread of Islam from the north.
5) Made pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) from 1324 to 1325.

10. Map of West Africa featuring a drawing of Mansa Musa.10

11. Closer view of Mansa Musa11

12. A comic about Mansa Musa
A book about Mansa Musa

13. Comic about Mansa Musa

14. 6) Brought back Muslim scholars and architects to Timbuktu and encouraged education = schools, libraries, and mosques

15. e) Ibn Battuta: A Muslim traveler and historian who visited and wrote about the Kingdom of Mali in (handout).

16. Ibn Battuta

17. Ibn Battuta vs. Marco Polo

18. “The Bani River turns Dje´nne´ into an island each rainy season
“The Bani River turns Dje´nne´ into an island each rainy season. It’s floodwaters made possible the fishing, farming, and herding that centuries ago fed the trans-Saharan caravans of Timbuktu. Today, little is exported, but the river allows the city to feed its own.”

19. This “Great Mosque” in Mali is made entirely of MUD
This “Great Mosque” in Mali is made entirely of MUD! These women are sweeping away debris for the Independence Day celebration.

20. f) Decline of Mali Empire:
1) A series of bad rulers, gold mines shift east, attacks from outsiders, and the rise of another kingdom in the area: The Songhai

21. Additional Pictures
The flag of Mali

22. Additional Information: Mali Today
Government- A Republic, the head of state and government is the President, Legislature and National Assembly
Education- Currently, children are required to attend school for nine years, however, only about 30% of children are able to do so because of a lack of classrooms and teachers
Religion- Islam is the dominate religion of Mali, there are very few Christians, and some people follow traditional African religions (Animism)
Language- Today, French is the official language, but Bambara is the most commonly spoken.
Economics------}
Agricultural Map of
Mali Today

23. Additional Information: Mali Today
Land- Mali is called the “Crossroads of Africa” because the people from the north meet the people from tropical Africa
One mountain range- Adrar des Iforas
75% of the land in Mali is desert, part is the Sahara Desert
Southern part is chief farming region because from July to October it receives a great deal of rain
Area- 478,767 sq miles
Population- approx. 8,200,000

24. Review Time! Where is Mali?
How did the Mali Empire gain their wealth (money)?
Who was Mali’s first great king?
Give one accomplishment of Mansa Musa.
Who taxed all trade in the kingdom of Mali?
Name two facts about Mansa Musa.
What did Mansa Musa bring back from Mecca?
What is the name of the famous trading and religious city in Mali?

25. Regents Questions
1. Which choice best completes the partial outline below?
I. Rise of Civilizations of Ghana and Mali
A. ______________________
B. Spread of Islam
C. Development of centers of learning
(1) Use of gunpowder
(2) Trade of gold and salt
(3) Development of Hammurabi’s Code
(4) Distribution of the printing press

26. 2. A similarity between the ancient western African kingdoms of Mali, Ghana, and Songhai is that these kingdoms
1. limited the power of their rulers
2. practiced Christianity
3. established economies based on trade
4. isolated themselves from contact with other cultures
3. Which description best characterizes the city of Timbuktu?
(1) port on the water route to East Asia
(2) major urban and industrial center on the Silk Road
(3) commercial and cultural center of West Africa
(4) inland city of the Hanseatic League

27. 4. The Tang dynasty of China, the Gupta Empire of India, and
4. The Tang dynasty of China, the Gupta Empire of India, and the Mali Empire of Africa were similar in that each experienced a period of
(1) prosperity and artistic creativity
(2) feudalism and oppression
(3) war and constant invasion
(4) mercantilism and industrial expansion
5. The wealth and power of Mali’s ruler, Mansa Musa, were significant because they contributed to the
(1) start of the Crusades
(2) spread of Islam
(3) growth of European imperialism
(4) rise of Arab nationalism

28. 6. Mansa Musa commissioned great mosques to be built in Timbuktu, Mali’s capital, and in other Mali cities. Under Musa’s patronage, Muslim scholarship flourished, and Timbuktu began its tenure as an important center of learning. This public display of wealth and power enhanced Mali’s reputation and prestige throughout the world.
Which phrase best describes Mali under the rule of Mansa Musa?
(1) a golden age
(2) a poverty-stricken era
(3) a decade of colonial unrest
(4) a period of political chaos

29. 7. Which source of information is considered a primary source?
(1) dictionary of English words adapted from Arabic
(2) modern novel about the Golden Age of Islam
(3) textbook on the history of North Africa
(4) travel diary of Ibn Battuta
8. The journals of early travelers such as Ibn Battuta of Morocco, Zheng He of China, and Mansa Musa of Mali are examples of
(1) primary sources describing observations of the travelers
(2) works of fiction intended to describe the adventures of the travelers
(3) secondary sources that record the travelers’ interpretations of history
(4) outdated resources for historical research

30. 9. One way in which the travels of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta are similar is that they resulted in
(1) an increased interest in different cultures
(2) the development of slavery
(3) a reduction in trade
(4) the discovery of East Asia
10. The travels of Marco Polo and of Ibn Battuta were similar in that these travels
(1) led to nationalistic movements
(2) helped to spread the ideas of religious leaders
(3) stimulated the expansion of trade
(4) supported democratic forms of government

31. 11) Which of the following statements best describes the indigenous religion of much of sub Saharan Africa?
1) Much of Sub Saharan Africa was Christian but later converted to Islam under Military pressure
2) animistic religión belief in the power of natural forces personified as deities characterized much of Africa
3) African religión prior to the arrival of the Muslims typified by an independant form of monotheism characterized by worship in a monumental temple complexes
4) Uniquely african societies lacked any religious principles prior to the arrival of the christians and Muslims
5) Subsaharan groups were influenced by Hindu beliefs brought in through east African trading ports such as Kilwa

32. 12) What was the geographical location of the empire of Mali?
1) Between the Zambezi and Congo rivers
2) Between the cities of Mogadishu and Mombasa
3) Between the Niger and Senegal rivers
4) Along the Nile river valley
5) In the Atlas mountains of north africa

33. 13) Which of the following statements concerning the Sudanic states of Mali and Songhay is most accurate?
1) although powerful the Sudanic states never reached the level of empires
2) Sudanic states had territorial corea reas in which the following people were of the same ethnic background but thier power extended over subordínate communities
3) The conversión of people to Christianity provided cultural necesity for the establishment of states
4) The Sudanic states were distingruished from other African civlizations by the peculiar lack of family or clan lineages as an organizing principle of society.
5) All the Sudanic populations converted to Islam upon thier first contact with Islamic military forces

34. 14) What was the social and political function of Griots?
1) Griots were religious diviners whose function was to foretell the future and guide the decisions of kings
2) griots were the classes of people of the conquest states of the Mali kings who were consigned to labor within the empires mines
3) Griots mastered the oral traditions of the Malinke and by knowing the past were considered excellent advisors of kings
4) Griots were Malinke merchants who served as trade middlemen throughout Africa and most of the Islamic world
5) Griots were Islamic religious leaders in African Empires and as such played a powerful role in Government.