[41] Given the grandeur of his subsequent hajj, it is likely that Musa spent much of his early reign preparing for it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It may have been located close to modern Kangaba. 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. The entire nation was mobilised, with each clan obligated to provide a quota of fighting-age men. His reign came with huge physical, economic and intellectual development in the Mali Empire. [51] Musa made a major point of showing off his nation's wealth. 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. This thread is archived The exact date of Musa's accession is debated. However, his riches are only one part of his legacy, and he is also remembered for his Islamic faith, promotion of scholarship, and patronage of culture in Mali. Mansa Musa returned from Mecca with several Islamic scholars, including direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad and an Andalusian poet and architect by the name of Abu Es Haq es Saheli, who is . Scholars have located the capital in Niani, or somewhere on the Niger, or proposed that it changed several times, that there was no true capital, or even that it lay as far afield as the upper Gambia River in modern-day Senegal. [116] Songhai authority over Bendugu and Kala declined by 1571, and Mali may have been able to reassert some authority over them. [18][16], Another hypothesis suggests that the name Mali is derived from Mand mali "hippopotamus", an animal that had special significance to the Keitas, and that Mand means "little manatee". [8] Suleyman's death marked the end of Mali's Golden Age and the beginning of a slow decline. 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. Hunters from the Ghana Empire (or Wagadou), particularly mythical ancestors Kontron and Sanin, founded Manding and the Malink and Bambaras hunter brotherhood. [128] Nevertheless, the mansa managed to keep tax money and nominal control over the area without agitating his subjects into revolt. Ibn Battuta observed the employment of servants in both towns. He describes it as being north of Mali but under its domination implying some sort of vassalage for the Antasar, Yantar'ras, Medussa and Lemtuna Berber tribes. The current King, Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz and has continued to maintain the . The farimba operated from a garrison with an almost entirely slave force, while a farima functioned on field with virtually all freemen. [104] He would only reign a year before a descendant of Mansa Gao Keita removed him.[70]. Nobody lived in the area except the Musafa servants who worked to dig the salts and lived on dates imported from Sijilmasa and the Dar'a valley, camel meat and millet imported from the Sudan. Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith TED-Ed 7.1M views 7 years ago The history of Nigeria explained in 6 minutes (3,000 Years of Nigerian history) Epimetheus. After the loyalty or at least the capitulation of an area was assured, it was allowed to select its own dyamani-tigui. Historians who lived during the height and decline of the Mali Empire consistently record its standing army peaking at 100,000, with 10,000 of that number being made up of cavalry. . Rather, authority would rest with the mansa and his court, wherever he went. One of the five pillars of Islam states that Muslims should embark on a pilgrimage known as Hajj, to the holy city of Mecca.. Afterward, he put himself and his kingdom, West Africa's Mali, on the map, literally. Musa gave the gold to the poor he met along his route. [93], Following Musa Keita III's death, his brother Gbr Keita became emperor in the mid-15th century. It spanned the modern-day countries of Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and northern Ghana. [59] Those not living in the mountains formed small city-states such as Toron, Ka-Ba and Niani. Mansa Musa was very wealthy and religious man who went on his Hajj for religious reasons and to also help people from his empire make the holy trip to Mecca for the god Allah. ), mansa (emperor) of the West African empire of Mali from 1307 (or 1312). Wagadou's control over Manden came to a halt after internal instability lead to its decline. Le Plerinage La Mecque de Mansa Musa (724725/13241325) d'aprs des Nouvelles Sources", "The Big Secret of Celebrity Wealth (Is That No One Knows Anything)", The International Journal of African Historical Studies, "West African empires. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali. [72] In contrast, al-Umari, writing twelve years after Musa's hajj, in approximately 1337,[73] claimed that Musa returned to Mali intending to abdicate and return to live in Mecca but died before he could do so,[74] suggesting he died even earlier than 1332. To Westerners, he seems to have been the greatest of Mali rulers, as visible in games like Civilization. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca from 1324 to 1326. Mansa Souleyman Keita died in 1360 and was succeeded by his son, Camba Keita. The Wolof populations of the area united into their own state known as the Jolof Empire in the 1350s. Mansa Mari Djata, later named Sundiata Keita, saw the conquest of several key locals in the Mali Empire. Most notably, the ancient center of learning Sankore Madrasah (or University of Sankore) was constructed during his reign. Extensive archaeological digs have shown that the area was an important trade and manufacturing center in the 15th century, but no firm evidence of royal residence has come to light. Three bowmen supporting one spearman was the ratio in Kaabu and the Gambia by the mid-16th century. [d], Musa's father was named Faga Leye[12] and his mother may have been named Kanku. His descendants migrated to the land of Mali and established the Mandinka clan of Keita. [67] News of the Malian empire's city of wealth even traveled across the Mediterranean to southern Europe, where traders from Venice, Granada, and Genoa soon added Timbuktu to their maps to trade manufactured goods for gold.[68]. Musa's death may have occurred in 1337, 1332, or possibly even earlier, giving 1307 or 1312 as plausible approximate years of accession. He had so much gold that during his hajj to Mecca, the Mansa passed out gold to all the poor along the way. He did however, maintain contacts with Morocco, sending a giraffe to King Abu Hassan. Al-Umari said that before Musa's arrival, a mithqal of gold was worth 25 silver dirhams, but that it dropped to less than 22 dirhams afterward and did not go above that number for at least twelve years. This is the least known period in Mali's imperial history. Candice Goucher, Charles LeGuin, and Linda Walton. During his reign, the Mossi emperor Bonga of Yatenga raided into Mali and plundered Macina. [90] CelebrityNetWorth has been criticized for the unreliability of its estimates. A manuscript page from Timbuktu showing a table of astronomical information. "[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]. Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. He had first-hand information from several sources, and from a second-hand source, he learned of the visit of Mansa Musa. [60] The anglicised version of this name, Sunjata, is also popular. In 1307, Mansa Musa came to the throne after a series of civil wars and ruled for thirty years. Another testimony from Ibn Khaldun describes the grand pilgrimage of Mansa Musa consisting of 12,000 slaves: "He made a pilgrimage in 724/1324 []. [12] However, these hypotheses have been rejected by locals and are inconsistent with the apparent cognate status of Mali and Mand.[19]. Musa I (known more commonly as Mansa Musa) was the tenth Mansa (a Mandinka word for "emperor") of the Mali Empire. 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. His leadership of Mali, a state which stretched across two thousand . As founded by Mari Djata, it was composed of the "three freely allied states" of Mali, Mema and Wagadou plus the Twelve Doors of Mali.[60]. He was the son of Niani's faama, Nare Fa (also known as Maghan Kon Fatta meaning the handsome prince). Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. [40] Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus both call the capital "Mali. Therefore, Arabic visitors may have assigned the "capital" label merely to whatever major city the mansa was based out of at the time of their visit. In 1330, the kingdom of Mossi invaded and conquered the city of Timbuktu. The most common measure for gold within the realm was the ambiguous mithqal (4.5grams of gold). Mali's Timbuktu was known for its schools and libraries. Ms I is widely considered the wealthiest man in history. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia, and the modern state of Mali. According to Burkinab writer Joseph Ki-Zerbo, the farther a person travelled from Niani, the more decentralised the mansa's power became. [88], Mansa Musa is renowned for his wealth and generosity. [83] He is criticized for being unfaithful to tradition, and some of the jeliw regard Musa as having wasted Mali's wealth. Mansa Musa also known as Musa I of Mali and was the ninth Islamic ancient Emperor of West Africa in a kingdom known as the Mali Empire. It wasn't long before the new kingdom of Great Fulo was warring against Mali's remaining provinces. Imperial Mali is best known through three primary sources: the first is the account of Shihab al-'Umari, written in about 1340 by a geographer-administrator in Mamluk Egypt. Sundiata Keita is the first ruler for which there is accurate written information (through Ibn Khaldun). The child of this marriage received the first name of his mother (Sogolon) and the surname of his father (Djata). [citation needed] The northern region on the other hand had no shortage of salt. Maghan Sundiata was declared "faama of faamas" and received the title "mansa", which translates as "king". 05 Mar 2023. Imperial Mali's horsemen also used iron helmet and mail armour for defence[146] as well as shields similar to those of the infantry. [97] Though this has been described as having "wrecked" Egypt's economy,[85] the historian Warren Schultz has argued that this was well within normal fluctuations in the value of gold in Mamluk Egypt. [56] Musa and his entourage lingered in Mecca after the last day of the hajj. He never took the field again after Kirina, but his generals continued to expand the frontier, especially in the west where they reached the Gambia River and the marches of Tekrur. The kingdom of Mali reached its greatest extent around the same time, a bustling, wealthy kingdom thanks to Mansa Musas expansion and administration.Mansa Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. [14], Medieval sources are divided over whether Mali is the name of a town or a region. That same year, Mahmud II sent another envoy to the Portuguese proposing alliance against the Fula. The northern commercial towns of Oualata and Audaghost were also conquered and became part of the new state's northern border. He became emperor in 1307. It is unknown from whom he descended; however, another emperor, Mansa Maghan Keita III, is sometimes cited as Mansa Mahmud Keita I. Mansa Musa (died 1337), king of the Mali empire in West Africa, is known mostly for his fabulous pilgrimage to Mecca and for his promotion of unity and prosperity within Mali. Sundiata, according to the oral traditions, did not walk until he was seven years old. This is the first account of a West African kingdom made directly by an eyewitness; the others are usually second-hand. They camped for three days by the Pyramids of Giza, before crossing the Nile into Cairo on 19 July. so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the genealogy implied is literal. by UsefulCharts. Swords were drawn, but before the situation escalated further, Musa persuaded his men to back down. Mansa means (King or Emperor) and he was ruling the Mali kingdom from C.E 1312 to 1337 for around 25 years. By the end of Mansa Musa's reign, the Sankor University had been converted into a fully staffed university with the largest collections of books in Africa since the Library of Alexandria. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca during the reign of Mamluk Sultan An-Nasir Muhammad (r. 12981308), but died on his voyage home. Very little is known about the life of Mansa Musa before 1312. Omissions? (2020, October 17). In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday. [95] When he passed through Cairo, historian al-Maqrizi noted "the members of his entourage proceeded to buy Turkish and Ethiopian slave girls, singing girls and garments, so that the rate of the gold dinar fell by six dirhams.". The Portuguese decided to stay out of the conflict and the talks concluded by 1495 without an alliance.[110]. [50] Such impermanent capitals are a historically widespread phenomenon, having occurred in other parts of Africa such as Ethiopia, as well as outside Africa, such as in the Holy Roman Empire.[51]. While in Cairo, Mansa Musa met with the Sultan of Egypt, and his caravan spent and gave away so much gold that the overall value of gold decreased in Egypt for the next 12 years. [137], Copper was also a valued commodity in imperial Mali. Mans third spouse tells court he was a despot, Woman describes treatment in Aguanga torture trial, Social worker: Children in torture case appeared happy, healthy, Calif. torture trial airs family horror stories, Polygamist who tortured his family is sentenced to 7 life terms, Aguanga man to serve seven life sentences, Emerging from a notorious hell of abuse to counsel others, Laura Cowan, Mansa Musa Muhummed: Sex, Torture, Beatings In Muslim Cult, Former Polygamy Wife Speaks Out On Justice By Any Means. [7] Maghan I succeeded his father as mansa in 1337, but was deposed by his uncle Suleyman in 1341. In addition, the moral and religious principles he had taught his subjects endured after his death. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musas developments. 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. [122] They targeted Moroccan pashas still in Timbuktu and the mansas of Manden. [86] Qu was succeeded by his son Muhammad, who launched two voyages to explore the Atlantic Ocean. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. World History Encyclopedia. [115] The breakup of the Wolof Empire allowed Mali to reassert authority over some of its former subjects on the north bank of the Gambia, such as Wuli, by 1576. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali Server Costs Fundraiser 2023 Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. [69] The Kangaba province, free of Sonink influence, splintered into twelve kingdoms with their own maghan (meaning prince) or faama. Mansa Musa turned the kingdom of Mali into a sophisticated center of learning in the Islamic world.Mansa Musa came to power in 1312 C.E., after the previous king, Abu Bakr II, disappeared at sea. The organization and smooth administration of a purely African empire, the founding of the University of Sankore, the expansion of trade in Timbuktu, the architectural innovations in Gao, Timbuktu, and Niani and, indeed, throughout the whole of Mali and in the subsequent Songhai empire are all testimony to Mansa Mss superior administrative gifts. The Joma area, governed from Siguiri, controlled the central region, which encompassed Niani. However, territories that were crucial to trade or subject to revolt would receive a farba. [123] Either as a counter-attack or simply the progression of pre-planned assaults against the remnants of Mali, the Bamana sacked and burned Niani in 1670. The area was famous as a hunting ground for the large amount of game that it sheltered, as well as its dense vegetation. 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. He built mosques and large public buildings in cities like Gao and, most famously, Timbuktu. Mansa Mss prodigious generosity and piety, as well as the fine clothes and exemplary behaviour of his followers, did not fail to create a most-favourable impression. [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". Timbuktu was a place of trade, entertainment, and education. When Mansa Musa was giving gold away, he was following 2 . [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. [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. Traveling from his capital of Niani on the upper Niger River to Walata (Oualta, Mauritania) and on to Tuat (now in Algeria) before making his way to Cairo, Mansa Ms was accompanied by an impressive caravan consisting of 60,000 men including a personal retinue of 12,000 enslaved persons, all clad in brocade and Persian silk. Ibn Khaldun in Levtzion and Hopkins, eds. Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. He is the resurrected spirit of Masuta the Ascended, the second boss in the first elite dungeon, Temple of Aminishi . Mansa Ms probably died in 1332. [20] Additional information comes from two 17th-century manuscripts written in Timbuktu, the Tarikh Ibn al-Mukhtar[c] and the Tarikh al-Sudan. 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]. Editing: Jack Rackam. [76] After unifying Manden, he added the Wangara goldfields, making them the southern border. Then, in 1630, the Bamana of Djenn declared their version of holy war on all Muslim powers in present-day Mali. [105][106] Three years later, Oualata also fell into their hands. [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]. In 1534, Mahmud III, the grandson of Mahmud II, received another Portuguese envoy to the Mali court by the name of Pero Fernandes. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. Accounts of how many people and how much gold he spent vary. [80] Ibn Khaldun regarded Wali as one of Mali's greatest rulers. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Baah noted that it took about four months to travel from the northern borders of the Mali empire to Niani in the south. Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of an urban civilization. This trend would continue into colonial times against Tukulor enemies from the west.[121]. And so the name Keita became a clan/family and began its reign.[70]. He left Kanku Musa, a grandson of Sunjata's brother Mande Bori, in charge during his absence. [112] Still, no help came from the envoy and further possessions of Mali were lost one by one. [28] The Tarikh al-fattash claims that Musa accidentally killed Kanku at some point prior to his hajj.
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