Empires: Mali Empire
How do we know that Sundiata Keita's son Mansa Uli converted to Islam?
He went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in the 1260s or 1270s CE
Where and when did Sundiata Keita defeat the kingdom of Sosso?
In a decisive battle at Krina in 1235 CE
When did the Mali empire collapse?
In the 1460s
When did Mansa Musa I rule the Mali Empire?
In the first half of the 13th century
The Mansa, or king, would be assisted by an assembly of elders and local chiefs throughout the Mali Empire's history, with audiences held where?
In the royal palace or under a large tree
What was an impediment to Islam spreading in the Mali empire outside of educated clerical class of towns?
Islamic studies were conducted in Arabic
What does Mansa mean?
King
What does Sundiata Keita, the Malinke prince's name mean?
Lion prince
The Mali Empire enjoyed its second golden era during the reign of who in the first half of the 13th century CE?
Mansa Musa I
In Spain c. 1375 CE, a mapmaker was inspired to create Europe's first detailed map of West Africa, part of the Catalan Atlas. How was Mansa Musa depicted?
Mansa Musa is seen wearing an impressive gold crown and triumphantly brandishing a huge lump of gold in his hand.
Who was Sundiata Keita's son?
Mansa Uli
What title did the assembly (gbara) of tribal leaders and influential Arab merchants give to Sundiata Keita?
Mari Diata (Lord Lion)
Music was an important part of religious festivals in Mali when who performed?
Masked dancers
In which century was the Mali empire in decline by?
The 15th century
Pottery and sculpture were produced in the Mali empire as they had been at noted centres like Djenne since which century?
The 9th century CE.
Which empire was the first major political power in West Africa to create an empire based on military might and wealth gained from regional trade?
The Ghana Empire
Sundiata Keita founded the Mali empire following his victory over which kingdom?
The Kingdom of Sosso
Which river regularly flooded parts of this dry grassland and savannah, which provided fertile land for Mali Empire agriculture beginning at least 3,500 years ago, an endeavour greatly helped by the region's adequate annual rainfall?
The Niger River
How did Islam spread through parts of West Africa?
Via the Arab merchants who traded there.
Where was the Mali Empire?
West Africa
What set off a never-ending round of rumours that Mali was a kingdom paved with gold?
When the Mali king Mansa Musa visited Cairo in 1324 CE, he spent or simply gave away so much gold that the price of bullion crashed by 20%.
Who founded Timbuktu?
the nomadic Tuaregs
Who were griots in the Mali empire?
Specialised story-tellers
Who founded the Mali empire?
Sundiata Keita
What are three ways in which the Mali empire was situated in a prime location?
- It was situated between the rain forests of southern West Africa and the powerful Muslim caliphates of North Africa. -The Niger River provided ready access to Africa's interior and Atlantic coast, -while the Berber-controlled camel caravans that crossed the Sahara desert ensured valuable commodities came from the north.
Which 5 groups or individuals assisted the King in the Mali Empire?
-An assembly of elders and local chiefs -Legal advisors -The chief of the army -Master of the Granaries -Master of ceremonies -Leader of royal orchestra
All visitors of the Mansa in the Mali empire had to do what?
-Be barefoot -Bow down -Pour dust over their heads
Arab chroniclers describe another type of domestic building in Mali, which was constructed using what?
-Beaten earth bricks -and with ceilings made of wooden beams and reeds -the whole formed into a conical roof. -Flooring was made using earth mixed with sand.
Gold was in particular demand from the Mali Empire from which 3 European powers?
-Castille in Spain -Venice and Genoa in Italy -where coinage was now being minted in the precious metal.
Which three aspects of Sundiata's rule permitted a massive military expansion which would pave the way for the Mali empire to be the largest yet seen in Africa?
-Centralized government -Diplomacy -Well-trained army
What 6 types of agriculture existed within the Mali empire?
-Cereals such as red-skinned African rice and millet -pulses -tuber -root crops -oil and fibre plants, -fruits.
What are three factors that lead the Mali Empire to collapse?
-Civil wars -The opening up of trade routes elsewhere -The rise of the Songhai empire
What were 3 things that Mali sculptures were used for?
-Everyday decorative objects -Ritual purposes -Burial purposes
What are two examples of places many native converts to Islam under Mansa Musa's rule studied in?
-Fez -Morocco
What types of animals were sources of food for the Mali empire?
-Fish -Cattle
Which two key sources of trade goods was the Mali capital Niani close to?
-Forests -Waterways
The Mali Empire controlled which three rich gold-bearing regions?
-Galam -Bambuk -Bure
Which two noted Muslim travelers and chroniclers recorded that even Mali's first ruler Sundiata Keita converted to Islam?
-Ibn Battuta -Ibn Khaldin
The Sudan region of West Africa where the Mali Empire would develop had been inhabited since the Neolithic period as evidenced by what three things?
-Iron Age tumuli -megaliths -and remains of abandoned villages
Where are two examples of the Mali baked- mud mosques located?
-Mopti -Djenne
After embracing Islam, what are four examples of things that Mansa Musa built in the Mali Empire?
-Mosques -Quranic Schools -Universities -Libraries
Mansa Musa famously went to Mecca and, impressed with what he saw on his travels, Mansa Musa brought back home what three things?
-Muslim architects - scholars - books.
What are three major cities of the Mali empire which converted to Islam?
-Niani -Djenne -Gao
Which two regions did the Mali empire act as a middle man with in terms of trade?
-North Africa via the Sahara desert -The Niger river to the south
Where was the capital of the Mali empire Niani located?
-Now no longer in existence -Probably located on a plain near the all-year round navigable Sankrani River -Protected by mountains
Sundiata Keita expanded the Mali empire to include which 5 regions?
-Old kingdoms of Ghana -Walata -Tadmekka -Songhai -Niani
What 4 materials were Mali sculptures typically made of?
-Solid pottery -Reinforcing iron rod interiors -Wood -Brass
What is the physical descriptions of the mosques constructed by the Mali empire?
-They are imposing multi-storied structures -with towers, -huge wooden doors, -and tiered minarets.
What are three ways the Mali empire guarantee loyalty from conquered people?
-Tribute was acquired from conquered chiefdoms, -although many local chiefs were permitted to continue to rule their own people but with a Mali-appointed governor to assist them, often backed by a garrison. -taking royal hostages and keeping them at the capital.
Which lands did Mansa Musa I bring under the Mali Empire?
-West: Lands up to the Gambia and lower Senegal in -North: tribes were subdued along the whole length of the Western Sahara border region -East: control spread up to Gao on the Niger River -South: The Bure region and the forests of what became known as the Gold Coast
How was Mansa Musa able to maintain and extend Mali's empire, doubling its territory?
-With an army numbering around 100,000 men -including an armored cavalry corps of 10,000 horses -and with the talented general Saran Mandian
Which three factors made Mansa Musa and the Mali elite become immensely rich?
-With more tribute conquered chiefs - more trade routes under Mali control, -and even more natural resources to exploit
Timbuktu was a semi-independent trade port which had the double advantage of what?
-being on the Niger River bend -and being the starting point for the trans-Saharan caravans
Because of the rarity of stone in the region, what were buildings in the Mali empire made of?
-buildings were typically constructed using beaten earth (banco) -and reinforced with wood which often sticks out in beams from the exterior surfaces.
What 4 things led to the decline of the Ghana empire?
-civil wars, -rebellions of subjugated chiefdoms -poor harvests -large parts of its territory taken over by the kingdom of Sosso
During the Mali empire, goods in Timbuktu were bartered for or paid for using which 3 types of agreed upon commodities?
-copper or gold ingots -set quantities of salt or ivory -or even Persian cowry shells
Acting as a middle-trader between North Africa via the Sahara desert and the Niger River to the south, Mali exploited the traffic in which 5 commodities that crisscrossed West Africa?
-gold -salt -copper -ivory -slaves
What were the 4 descriptions of the subjects of Mali sculptures?
-human figures -especially bearded warriors riding a horse -but also many kneeling or crouching figures with upturned faces -Figures are often realistic portrayals of ordinary people, sometimes showing symptoms of tropical diseases
Which 12 luxury goods passed through Timbuktu in the Mali Empire?
-ivory -textiles -horses -glassware, -weapons -sugar -kola nuts -cereals -spices, -stone beads -craft products -slaves
To govern diverse peoples, Mansa Musa divided the Mali empire into provinces with each one ruled by a governor (farba) appointed personally by him and responsible for what three things?
-local taxes -justice - settling tribal disputes.
What 5 sujects did the studies inside Mansa Musa's Islamic universities include?
-religion -history -geography -astronomy - medicine.
During the Mali Empire, there were even songs reserved for certain people who alone had the right to have them sung in their honor, this was especially so for which two types of people?
-renowned warriors -and hunters
The reign of Mansa Musa I saw the Mali empire reach new heights in terms of which three things?
-territory controlled, -cultural fluorescence -and the staggering wealth brought through Mali's control of regional trade routes
Foreign visitors to Mali noted which 3 things about the empire?
-the high degree of justice they saw -the safety with which one could travel from place to place -and the abundance of food in all villages.
Why are the Mali rulers considered to have triple income?
-they taxed the passage of trade goods -bought goods and sold them on at much higher prices -had access to their own valuable natural resources.
Who did Sundiata Keita's centralized government consist of?
-tribal leaders -and a number of influential Arab merchants
How were Mali sculptures decorated?
-typically incised, -painted -or achieved by adding three-dimensional pieces.
When was Timbuktu founded?
1100 CE
When did the Sosso empire reign?
1180 - 1235 CE
When did the Sosso King Sumanguru begin his reign?
1200 CE
When did Sundiata Keita rule the Mali empire?
1230 - 1255 CE
When did Sundiata Keita wage war against the kingdom of Sosso?
1230s CE
When did the Mali empire reign?
1240 - 1645 CE
When did Sundiata Keita capture the old Ghana capital
1240 CE
When did Mansa Musa I rule over the Mali Empire?
1312 - 1337 CE
When did Ibn Buttata visit Mali?
1352 CE
When Mansa Musa I visited Cairo in 1324 CE, he spent or simply gave away so much gold that the price of bullion crashed by how much percent?
20%
Between which time period did the Ghana empire reign?
6th to 13th century
Although the Mali Empire collapsed in the 1460s, it continued to control what part of the empire into the 17th century?
A small part of the Western Empire
Although Mali rulers and cities converted to Islam, most of the rural Mali populations remained farmers who clung on to which beliefs?
Animist beliefs
No one was allowed to be in the presence of the Mansa of the Mali empire when he did what?
Ate
Why did Mali architects have a distinct disadvantage?
Because of the rarity of stone in the region
Local deposits of which metals were exploited and used for trade in the Mali empire?
Copper and maybe gold
Although recognising Islam was present in Mali long before Sundiata's reign, the oral tradition maintains that the first ruler of the Mali Empire did not do what?
Did not reject the indigenous animist religion.
How did Sundiata Keita decree that all future kings of the Mali empire would be selected?
From the Keita Clan, although the title was not always given to the eldest son leading to fierce disputes
Only the Mansa in the Mali Empire was allowed to possess gold nuggets, while traders had to make do with what?
Gold Dust
Legends and community histories orally by specialised story-tellers were passed down from generation to generation in Mali and were often accompanied by what?
Music
What was the capital city of the Mali Empire?
Niani
Which two types of art were produced by the Mali empire?
Pottery and sculpture
Excavations at Niani revealed that the remains of houses and their stone foundations which confirmed what?
Richer members of society built stone houses
One of the main trade exchanges of the Mali empire was gold dust in exchange for what?
Salt from the Sahara
On which river was the capital of the Mali Empire Niani located?
Sankarani River
What caused civil wars in the end of the Mali empire?
The ill-defined rules for royal succession as brothers and uncles fought each other for the throne
When the Sosso king Sumanguru imposed trade restrictions on the Mali region, which tribe rose in rebellion?
The native Malinke tribe (Mandingo)
Does does Mali mean?
The place where the king lives
What was a famous center of Islamic learning in the Mali empire?
Timbuktu
Where is the Sankore Mosque?
Timbuktu
What is an example of a mosque that Mansa Musa I had built?
Tinbuktu's Great Mosque
Up to how many apartments for merchants did Mali Empire warehouses which stored goods have?
Up to 40
How tall were Mali sculptures typically?
Up to 50 cm
