The rise of Mali and the crown of the Mansa
The ultimate road trip: The historic hajj of 1324
Building a golden age: Timbuktu and the scholars
The map that changed the world
YOUR GOAL
Master of The glittering trail of Mansa Musa
schopenhauer The Mali Empire
Golden crown! Golden crown! He ruled the empire with a golden crown!
schopenhauer Trans-Saharan caravans carried massive salt blocks across the desert, making Timbuktu merchants extremely wealthy and influential.
schopenhauer Mansa Musa watches traders weigh pure gold nuggets under dramatic warm lighting.
Valuable salt: In medieval West Africa, salt was so highly prized for food preservation that it was sometimes traded pound-for-pound for pure gold.
A Mandinka title for a hereditary ruler, commonly translated as king or emperor. In 1235, Sundiata Keita became the first ruler of the Mali Empire to claim this supreme title.
What does the title Mansa actually mean in the Mandinka language of the Mali Empire?
Which empire did the Mali Empire succeed as the dominant power in West Africa?
Which two natural resources formed the main foundation of the Mali Empire's immense wealth?
What was the primary method used to transport goods across the harsh Sahara Desert?