1. The Empire of Mali

2. Sundiata Makes Mali an Empire
Like Ghana, Mali lay along the upper Niger River
The area had very fertile soil
Consider the geographic advantages of Mali’s location. How might these factors contribute to the growth of Mali?

3. Sundiata Makes Mali an Empire
Mali’s rise to power began under a ruler named Sundiata
Sundiata was a son of the king of Mali
A cruel ruler conquered Mali when Sundiata was a boy
How do you think Sundiata took over and made Mali an empire?

4. Sundiata Makes Mali an Empire
When he got older, Sundiata gathered a huge army and won Mali’s independence
Sundiata conquered nearby kingdoms, including Ghana

5. Sundiata Makes Mali an Empire
He also took over the salt and gold trades
Sundiata made Mali an empire

6. Improvements in Mali Sundiata’s improvements:
Rebuilt overgrazed farmlands
Cleared new farmlands for crops
Introduced new crops like cotton
Put soldiers to work in the fields
Draw a picture that demonstrates what Sundiata did to improve Mali.

7. Sundiata’s Consolidation of Power
Sundiata took power away from local leaders
These leaders had been called Mansas
Sundiata took the title “Mansa” for himself

8. Wrap it Up
Review: What steps did Sundiata take to turn Mali into an empire?
Predict: What do you think happened to Mali when Sundiata died?
Infer: Given what we know about African history, how do you think we came to know about Sundiata?

9. Mansa Musa
Mali’s greatest and most famous ruler was a Muslim named Mansa Musa
Under his leadership, Mali reached the height of its wealth, power, and fame
Mansa Musa ruled for about 25 years, and captured many important trading cities

10. Mansa Musa Religion was very important to Mansa Musa
Because of Mansa Musa’s influence, Islam spread through a large part of West Africa

11. Mansa Musa In 1324, he left on a pilgrimage to Mecca
He brought with him:
100 camels loaded with 300 pounds of gold nuggets
100 camels loaded with 300 pounds of gold dust
100 camels loaded with 300 pounds of gold flakes
60,000 servants to help him along the way
Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage put Mali and West Africa on the map
Draw a picture that represents Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca

13. Mansa Musa Mansa Musa also supported education
He sent scholars to study the Qur’an and Arabic in Morocco
He established Arabic schools in Mali

14. Mansa Musa
The Mali capital of Timbuktu became a great center of Islamic culture
Arabic became the main language of both religion and government

15. Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa built mosques in Mali’s cities, but he did not force Islam on anyone who chose not to practice it.
Infer: Do you think Mali under Mansa Musa was a free society? Why or why not?

16. The Fall of Mali
After Mansa Musa died, there were no more strong leaders
Invaders and uprisings tore apart the large and unwieldy empire
Invaders destroyed the great schools and mosques of Timbuktu
By 1500, Mali had lost most of its land and power

17. Predict: What do you think is going to happen in West Africa after Mali falls?