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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).
The trade networks of the Mali Empire, for instance, linked the gold fields of West Africa to the Mediterranean via the Niger River. These routes facilitated the exchange of gold, kola nuts , and other commodities, promoting economic interdependence among different African regions.
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.
Mali's most famous ruler, Mansa Musa, traveled across the Trans-Saharan trade routes on his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325. [3] Because Islam became so prominent in North and West Africa, many of the trade routes and caravan networks were controlled by Muslim nations. [1] In the 14th century, prominent trade and travel routes had been firmly ...
According to Paul Berthier, the need for slave labor on Moroccan sugar plantations was a major reason for the 16th century Saadian invasion of the Songhai Empire. [56] French-language map of major historic trans-Saharan trade routes (1889) A slave market in Cairo. Drawing by David Roberts, circa 1848.
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 .