Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
For instance, the trade routes of the Mali Empire connected the gold fields of West Africa to the Mediterranean via the Niger River. [1] These routes facilitated the exchange of not only gold but also kola nuts and other commodities, fostering economic interdependence among various African regions.
The Mali Empire (Manding: Mandé [3] or Manden Duguba; [4] [5] Arabic: مالي, romanized: Mālī) was an empire in West Africa from c. 1226 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita ( c. 1214 – c. 1255 ) and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita).
Trade routes of the Western Sahara c. 1000–1500. Goldfields are indicated by light brown shading: Bambuk, Bure, Lobi, and Akan. The eastern trans-Saharan route led to the development of the long-lived Kanem–Bornu Empire as well as the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires, centred on the Lake Chad area. This trade route was somewhat less ...
Their raids threatened Mali's communication and trade lines with the critical gold-producing region of Bambuk and the vassal states of Kaabu, Wuli and Niani. [75] [76] Cut off from the desert-side trade, Mali's economy now depended heavily on these western provinces and the trade with the Portuguese that had begun in the 1450s.
Its position near the edge of the Sahara Desert made it a hub for trans-Saharan trade routes. Timbuktu also acts as a midpoint between the regions of North, West, and Central Africa. Because of this, Timbuktu developed into a cultural melting pot. The Mali Empire reached a steady decline in the mid-1400s, giving rise to the Songhai Empire.
The Mali Empire started in 1230 and was the largest empire in West Africa and profoundly influenced the culture of West Africa through the spread of its language, laws and customs. [15] Until the 19th century, Timbuktu remained important as an outpost at the southwestern fringe of the Muslim world and a hub of the trans-Saharan slave trade .
After a shift in trading routes, the town flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory and slaves from several towns and states such as Begho of Bonoman, Sijilmassa, and other Saharan cities. [1] It became part of the Mali Empire early in the 14th century. By this time it had become a major centre of learning in the area.
The salt mines became known in Europe not long after Ibn Battuta's visit as Taghaza was shown on the Catalan Atlas of 1375 on the trans-Saharan trade route linking Sijilmasa and Timbuktu. [6] Alvise Cadamosto learned in 1455 that Taghaza salt was taken to Timbuktu and then on to Mali. It was then carried "a great distance" to be bartered for ...