Free warriors from the north (Mandekalu or otherwise) were usually equipped with large reed or animal hide shields and a stabbing spear that was called a tamba. "[96], Contemporary sources suggest that the mounts employed by this caravan were one hundred elephants, which carried those loads of gold, and several hundred camels, carrying the food, supplies and weaponries which were brought to the rear.[97]. He ruled oppressively and nearly bankrupted Mali with his lavish spending. Certainly, his descendants were Muslim, and many went on pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj), and Keita's most famous descendent, Mansa Musa, dazzled Egypt and the Islamic world on his lavish pilgrimage east. In his lifetime and beyond, he was known for his extravagant wealth and spending, funded by his kingdom's vast salt and gold mines. However, from 1507 onwards neighboring states such as Diara, Great Fulo and the Songhai Empire chipped away at the outer borders of Mali. 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. In oral tradition and the Timbuktu Chronicles, Musa is known as Kanku Musa.
Urban Dictionary: mansa musa Mansa Musa Keita was succeeded by his son, Maghan Keita I, in 1337. He brought back with him descendants of Mohammed, Islamic scholars, and architect Abu Es Haq es Saheli, who went on to create the Djinguereber mosque. Trade was Mali's form of income, and wealth. Yet native sources seem to pay him little attention. What made this possible was the decentralised nature of administration throughout the state. This region straddles the border between what is now southern Mali and northeastern Guinea. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. It was cut into pieces and spent on goods with close to equal buying power throughout the empire. He was the son of Niani's faama, Nare Fa (also known as Maghan Kon Fatta meaning the handsome prince). His elaborate pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in 1324 introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe. This enabled him to rule over a realm larger than even the Ghana Empire in its apex. In this lesson, students read one recent blog post about Musa I of Mali's wealth, followed by two historical documents from the fourteenth-century, to answer the question: Was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? The army of the Mali Empire during the 14th century was divided into northern and southern commands led by the Farim-Soura and Sankar-Zouma, respectively. [63] Both of these accounts may be true, as Mali's control of Gao may have been weak, requiring powerful mansas to reassert their authority periodically.[64]. The Mali Empire expanded through conquest or annexation. [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". After Ibn Khaldun's death in 1406, there are no further Arab primary sources except for Leo Africanus, who wrote over a century later. [129] The county level administrators called kafo-tigui (county-master) were appointed by the governor of the province from within his own circle. The other major source of information comes from Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots.[5]. [123] Segou, defended by Bitn Coulibaly, successfully defended itself and Mama Maghan was forced to withdraw. 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. by UsefulCharts. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the ruler of the kingdom of Mali from 1312 C.E. [120], The old core of the empire was divided into three spheres of influence. Al-Nasir expected Musa to prostrate himself before him, which Musa initially refused to do. [11][12] The version recorded by medieval Arab geographers is Mali (Arabic: , romanized:Ml). Masuta the Descended is a miniboss in The Shadow Reef. 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. Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca happened between 1324 and 1325.
Mansa Musa - Wikipedia The history of the Mandinka started in Manding region. Updates? He also made Eid celebrations at the end of Ramadan a national ceremony. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Mali Empire reached its largest area under the Laye Keita mansas. [9] Upon Leo Africanus's visit at the beginning of the 16th century, his descriptions of the territorial domains of Mali showed that it was still a kingdom of considerable size. They are descendants of. UsefulCharts, . You cannot download interactives. [133], There was no standard currency throughout the realm, but several forms were prominent by region. Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. This process was essential to keep non-Manding subjects loyal to the Manding elites that ruled them. The Catalan Atlas, created in 1375 C.E. All gold was immediately handed over to the imperial treasury in return for an equal value of gold dust. Rather, authority would rest with the mansa and his court, wherever he went. Nelson, 1971. The voyage is often incorrectly attributed to a Mansa Abu Bakr II, but no such mansa ever reigned. [42] Among these preparations would likely have been raids to capture and enslave people from neighboring lands, as Musa's entourage would include many thousands of enslaved people; the historian Michael Gomez estimates that Mali may have captured over 6,000 people per year for this purpose. Ibn Khaldun in Levtzion and Hopkins, eds. Bukar professed his support, but believing Mahmud's situation to be hopeless, secretly went over to the Moroccans. A city called Dieriba or Dioliba is sometimes mentioned as the capital or main urban center of the province of Mande in the years before Sundiata, that was later abandoned. Islamic studies flourished thereafter. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Sundjata is credited with at least the initial organisation of the Manding military. The most common measure for gold within the realm was the ambiguous mithqal (4.5grams of gold). The only major setback to his reign was the loss of Mali's Dyolof province in Senegal. Mansa Ms, either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, came to the throne in 1307. Mali's domain also extended into the desert. Longman, 1995. Wagadou and Mema became junior partners in the realm and part of the imperial nucleus. 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. He intended to abdicate the throne and return to Mecca but died before he was able to do so. [77] Alternatively, it is possible that the four-year reign Ibn Khaldun credits Maghan with actually referred to his ruling Mali while Musa was away on the hajj, and he only reigned briefly in his own right. The farimba operated from a garrison with an almost entirely slave force, while a farima functioned on field with virtually all freemen. He could read and write Arabic and took an interest in the scholarly city of Timbuktu, which he peaceably annexed in 1324. [citation needed].
19 Children of Mansa Musa Muhummed In the first millennium BC, early cities and towns were created by Mande peoples related to the Soninke people, along the middle Niger River in central Mali, including at Dia which began from around 900 BC, and reached its peak around 600 BC,[52] and Djenne-Djenno, which lasted from around 250 BC to 900 AD. [90] CelebrityNetWorth has been criticized for the unreliability of its estimates. [54] Despite this initial awkwardness, the two rulers got along well, and exchanged gifts. Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of an urban civilization. The mansa could also replace a farba if he got out of control, as in the case of Diafunu. Forty years after the reign of Mansa Musa Keita I, the Mali Empire still controlled some 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000sqmi) of land throughout Western Africa.[103][9]. Captivation History summarizes Mansa Musa's story from his ancestors to his descendants as they reigned over the Mali Empire beginning in the 1300s. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musas developments. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. The tarikh states that a Sultan Kunburu became a Muslim and had his palace pulled down and the site turned into a mosque; he then built another palace for himself near the mosque on the east side. [110] Meanwhile, Songhai seized the salt mines of Taghazza in 1493. [70][141] With the help of the river clans, this army could be deployed throughout the realm on short notice. [8] Suleyman's death marked the end of Mali's Golden Age and the beginning of a slow decline. [citation needed] The northern region on the other hand had no shortage of salt. [83] This term was used interchangeably with dinar, though it is unclear if coined currency was used in the empire. [28] The Tarikh al-fattash claims that Musa accidentally killed Kanku at some point prior to his hajj. At Taghaza, for example, salt was exchanged; at Takedda, copper. [71] However, Ibn Khaldun also reports that Musa sent an envoy to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali for his conquest of Tlemcen, which took place in May 1337, but by the time Abu al-Hasan sent an envoy in response, Musa had died and Suleyman was on the throne, suggesting Musa died in 1337.
Mansa Musa Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements According to the records of Ibn Battuta,[138][139] copper which traded in bars was mined from Takedda in the north and traded in the south for gold. The Camara (or Kamara) are said to be the first family to have lived in Manding, after having left, due to the drought, Ouallata, a region of Wagadou, in the south-east of present-day Mauritania. [136] One particular source of salt in the Mali Empire was salt-mining sites located in Taghaza. But the Mali Empire built by his predecessors was too strong for even his misrule and it passed intact to Musa's brother, Souleyman Keita in 1341. Today, his net worth is estimated to have been $400 billion. Through the oral tradition of griots, the Keita dynasty, from which nearly every Mali emperor came, claims to trace its lineage back to Lawalo, one of the sons of Bilal,[60] the faithful muezzin of Islam's prophet Muhammad, who was said to have migrated into Mali and his descendants established the ruling Keita dynasty through Maghan Kon Fatta, father of Sundiata Keita.[61]. [118] Mahmud sought support from several other rulers, including the governor of Kala, Bukar. UsefulCharts, . Stories of his fabulous wealth even reached Europe. 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. Mansa Musa even built the Great Mosque of Djenn, one of the most famous mosques in Mali, to recognize his pilgrimage. We would much rather spend this money on producing more free history content for the world. [140], The Mali Empire maintained a semi-professional, full-time army in order to defend its borders. 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. Candice Goucher, Charles LeGuin, and Linda Walton. He's especially famous for his hajj to Mecca, during which he sponsored numerous mosques and madrases, and supposedly spent so much gold along the way that the metal was severely devalued, which for many people was not a very good thing. Ibn Battuta comments on festival demonstrations of swordplay before the mansa by his retainers including the royal interpreter. [29] Al-Umari, who visited Cairo shortly after Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca, noted that it was "a lavish display of power, wealth, and unprecedented by its size and pageantry". harvnb error: no target: CITEREFKi-ZerboNiane (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFLevztionHopkins2000 (. published on 17 October 2020. Barring any other difficulties, the dyamani-tigui would run the province by himself collecting taxes and procuring armies from the tribes under his command. Regardless of their title in the province, they were recognised as dyamani-tigui (province-master) by the mansa. This led to inflation throughout the kingdom. Mansa Musa ruled over the Mali empire in the 14th Century, and his incredible access to gold made him arguably . The Sahelian and Saharan towns of the Mali Empire were organised as both staging posts in the long-distance caravan trade and trading centres for the various West African products. [58] This area was composed of mountains, savannah and forest providing ideal protection and resources for the population of hunters. 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. Mss rule defined the golden age of Mali. The post of a farba was very prestigious, and his descendants could inherit it with the mansa's approval. During Musa's 25-year-rule the Mali Empire more than tripled in size and had significant influence in several modern day countries including Mauritania, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkino Faso and Chad. [85] He went on the hajj during the reign of Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad (12981308) and was killed in Tajura on his way back to Mali. CREDITS:
Chart/Narration: Matt Baker Research/Artwork: From Nothing Team
Editing: Jack Rackam
Intro animation: Syawish Rehman
Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. UsefulCharts, . Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. Musa not only gave to the cities he passed on the way to Mecca, including Cairo and Medina, but also traded gold for souvenirs. Robert Smith, "The Canoe in West African History", harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBourgeois1987 (, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Kitab al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik (Book of Highways and Kingdoms) Ab Ubayd Al-Bakri, "The Empire of Mali, In Our Time BBC Radio 4", "Tracing History in Dia, in the Inland Niger Delta of Mali -Archaeology, Oral Traditions and Written Sources". [42] Another source of income for Mali during Musa's reign was taxation of the copper trade. While this was probably an exaggeration, it is known that during his pilgrimage to Mecca one of his generals, Sagmandia (Sagaman-dir), extended the empire by capturing the Songhai capital of Gao. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. [41] A particular challenge lies in interpreting early Arabic manuscripts, in which, without vowel markings and diacritics, foreign names can be read in numerous different ways (e.g. 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. She or he will best know the preferred format. By 1180 it had even subjugated Wagadou forcing the Sonink to pay tribute. In 14331434, the Mali Empire lost control of Timbuktu to the Tuareg, led by Akil In 1645, the Bamana attacked Manden, seizing both banks of the Niger right up to Niani. 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. Free warriors from the south came armed with bows and poisonous arrows. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Mali is the Fula form of the word. 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. [19], Much of what is known about Musa comes from Arabic sources written after his hajj, especially the writings of Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun. The reign of Mari Djata Keita II was ruinous and left the empire in bad financial shape, but the empire itself passed intact to the dead emperor's brother. Most West African canoes were of single-log construction, carved and dug out from one massive tree trunk.[144]. [15] He is also called Hidji Mansa Musa in oral tradition in reference to his hajj. 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. However, many believe Mansa Musa's wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires. They founded the first village of the Manding, Kirikoroni, then Kirina, Siby, Kita. During his reign, the Mossi emperor Bonga of Yatenga raided into Mali and plundered Macina. He was an extremely successful military leader
Medieval Map Points to World's Richest Man, Maybe Ever [62] According to one account given by Ibn Khaldun, Musa's general Saghmanja conquered Gao. [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. [70] However, once Sundiata did gain use of his legs he grew strong and very respected. [130] Farbas were picked by the mansa from the conquering farin or family members.
Mansa Musa (Civ6) | Civilization Wiki | Fandom He had so much gold that during his hajj to Mecca, the Mansa passed out gold to all the poor along the way. Ibn Battuta had written that in Taghaza there were no trees and there is only sand and the salt mines. One of the greatest caravans to ever cross the Sahara was led by Mansa Musa, the legendary ruler of the vast West African empire of Mali. Wali was succeeded by his brother Wati, about whom nothing is known,[82][83] and then his brother Khalifa. Mansa Musa Keita's crowning achievement was his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, which started in 1324 and concluded with his return in 1326. Musa's death may have occurred in 1337, 1332, or possibly even earlier, giving 1307 or 1312 as plausible approximate years of accession.
Atlantic voyage of the predecessor of Mansa Musa - Wikipedia 1312 is the most widely accepted by modern historians. From the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu. [47][48][49] His procession reportedly included 60,000 men, all wearing brocade and Persian silk, including 12,000 slaves,[50] who each carried 1.8kg (4lb) of gold bars, and heralds dressed in silks, who bore gold staffs, organized horses, and handled bags. [11][b] In Mand tradition, it was common for one's name to be prefixed by their mother's name, so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the genealogy implied is literal. Mansa Mari Djata, later named Sundiata Keita, saw the conquest of several key locals in the Mali Empire. [66], Timbuktu soon became the center of trade, culture, and Islam; markets brought in merchants from Hausaland, Egypt, and other African kingdoms, a university was founded in the city (as well as in the Malian cities of Djenn and Sgou), and Islam was spread through the markets and university, making Timbuktu a new area for Islamic scholarship. [112] Still, no help came from the envoy and further possessions of Mali were lost one by one. During most of his journey, Ibn Battuta travelled with a retinue that included servants, most of whom carried goods for trade. Musa went on hajj to Mecca in 1324, traveling with an enormous entourage and a vast supply of gold. Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0.
The Historic Hajj of Mansa Musa, King of Mali | About Islam The ancient kingdom of Mali spread across parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.
Combined in the rapidly spoken language of the Mandinka, the names formed Sondjata, Sundjata or Sundiata Keita. (2020, October 17). Imperial Malian architecture was characterised by Sudano-Sahelian architecture with a Malian substyle, which is exemplified by the Great Mosque of Djenne. The Gao mosque was built of burnt bricks, which had not, until then, been used as a material for building in West Africa. [93] In 1514, the Denianke dynasty was established in Tekrour. [93] He did not, however, hold the power of previous mansas because of the influence of his kankoro-sigui.