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. The oldest brother, Srbandjougou Keita, was crowned Mansa Foamed or Mansa Musa Keita III. Ibn Battuta comments on festival demonstrations of swordplay before the mansa by his retainers including the royal interpreter. The Catalan Atlas, published in 1375, depicts the richest man of his day: Mansa Musa, the emperor of 14th-century Mali. During this period only the Mongol Empire was larger. [108] Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian explorer, recorded that the Mali Empire was the most powerful entity on the coast in 1454. Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. [34][35] Nonetheless, the possibility of such a voyage has been taken seriously by several historians. [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". 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. [20] Arab interest in the Mali Empire declined after the Songhai conquered the northern regions of the empire which formed the primary contact between Mali and the Arab world. Duties of the farba included reporting on the activities of the territory, collecting taxes and ensuring the native administration didn't contradict orders from Niani. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely . Mansa Musa Keita's crowning achievement was his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, which started in 1324 and concluded with his return in 1326. "Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali." Mansa Musa Family Tree | Family tree, Tree, Kankan - Pinterest Musa made his pilgrimage between 1324 and 1325 spanning 2,700 miles. His name was Mansa Musa, and he was a devout Muslim. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws and customs. jeli), also known as griots, includes relatively little information about Musa compared to some other parts of the history of Mali. The current King, Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz and has continued to maintain the . . He was the son of Niani's faama, Nare Fa (also known as Maghan Kon Fatta meaning the handsome prince). The Catalan Atlas, created in 1375 C.E. Mansa Ms probably died in 1332. Sundiata Keita was a warrior-prince of the Keita dynasty who was called upon to free the local people from the rule of the king of the Sosso Empire, Soumaoro Kant. [98] Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds. [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. Stride, G. T., & C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 10001800". During his monarchy Musa or Musa, I was highly powered and the richest individual king Mansa Musa the . The Keitas retreated to the town of Kangaba, where they became provincial chiefs. He sought closer ties with the rest of the Muslim world, particularly the Mamluk and Marinid Sultanates. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday. The Sankor University was capable of housing 25,000 students and had one of the largest libraries in the world with roughly 1,000,000 manuscripts.[100][101]. Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim. Mansa Musa (about 1280 - about 1337) was an emperor (mansa) of the Mali Empire during the 14th century. Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage to Mecca - Amazing Bible Timeline [citation needed] The northern region on the other hand had no shortage of salt. A manuscript page from Timbuktu showing a table of astronomical information. 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. Sundiata Keita - National Geographic Society The wooden window frames of an upper storey were plated with silver foil; those of a lower storey with gold. Longman, 1995. Gold, copper, and salt were a major source of income in the 12th century and the empire happened to be blessed with it, even more as it expanded. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. King Mansa Musa is famous for his Hajj journey, during which he stopped off in Egypt and gave out so much gold that the Egyptian economy was ruined for years to come. The mansa also made a successful hajj, kept up correspondence with Morocco and Egypt and built an earthen platform at Kangaba called the Camanbolon where he held court with provincial governors and deposited the holy books he brought back from Hedjaz. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. by UsefulCharts. Mansa Musa also ran out of gold on the hajj to Mecca but was not concerned because he knew he had enough gold back in Mali to pay back everyone he owed money to. That same year, after the Mandinka general known as Sagmandir put down yet another rebellion in Gao,[93] Mansa Musa came to Gao and accepted the capitulation of the King of Ghana and his nobles. Consequently, the name of Mali and Timbuktu appeared on 14th century world maps. Malink, also known as Mande, Mali, or Melle, was founded around 1200 CE, and under Mansa Musa's reign . Musa's reign is often regarded as the zenith of Mali's power and prestige. Mali's Timbuktu was known for its schools and libraries. Mali Empire - Wikipedia [86] Qu was succeeded by his son Muhammad, who launched two voyages to explore the Atlantic Ocean. [92] He was one of the first truly devout Muslims to lead the Mali Empire. The Wangara, an Old Soninke Diaspora in West Africa? It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. This led to inflation throughout the kingdom. Mansa Musa, also known as Musa Keita I of Mali, was the tenth Sultan of the Mali Empire. The voyage is often incorrectly attributed to a Mansa Abu Bakr II, but no such mansa ever reigned. What did Ms I do when he returned to Mali? Scholars who were mainly interested in history, Qurnic theology, and law were to make the mosque of Sankore in Timbuktu a teaching centre and to lay the foundations of the University of Sankore. [80] Ibn Khaldun regarded Wali as one of Mali's greatest rulers. [145] Another common weapon of Mandekalu warriors was the poison javelin used in skirmishes. Free warriors from the south came armed with bows and poisonous arrows. [130] Farbas were picked by the mansa from the conquering farin or family members. All of them agree that he took a very large group of people; the mansa kept a personal guard of some 500 men,[94] and he gave out so many alms and bought so many things that the value of gold in Egypt and Arabia depreciated for twelve years. [40] Seemingly contradictory reports written by Arab visitors, a lack of definitive archaeological evidence, and the diversity of oral traditions all contribute to this uncertainty. This can be interpreted as either "Musa son of Abu Bakr" or "Musa descendant of Abu Bakr." 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. It is implausible that Abu Bakr was Musa's father, due to the amount of time between Sunjata's reign and Musa's. While in Cairo during his hajj, Musa befriended officials such as Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned about him and his country from him and later passed on that information to historians such as Al-Umari. Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. [52][55], Musa's generosity continued as he traveled onwards to Mecca, and he gave gifts to fellow pilgrims and the people of Medina and Mecca. He attempted to make Islam the faith of the nobility,[93] but kept to the imperial tradition of not forcing it on the populace. After the publication of this atlas, Mansa Musa became cemented in the global imagination as a figure of stupendous wealth.After his return from Mecca, Mansa Musa began to revitalize cities in his kingdom. Thank you for your help! Kangaba, the de facto capital of Manden since the time of the last emperor, became the capital of the northern sphere. [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. Musa was a Muslim, and his pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as hajj, made him well known across Northern Africa and the Middle East. Mansa Musa was immensely wealthy (whether he can be regarded as personally wealthy or wealthy because he controlled the gold mines of Mali is, of course, a . Provinces picked their own governors via their own custom (election, inheritance, etc.). His riches came from mining significant salt and gold deposits in the Mali kingdom. Despite the faama of Niani's wishes to respect the prophecy and put Sundiata on the throne, the son from his first wife Sassouma Brt was crowned instead. [27] The date of Musa's birth is unknown, but he still appeared to be a young man in 1324. [20] Additional information comes from two 17th-century manuscripts written in Timbuktu, the Tarikh Ibn al-Mukhtar[c] and the Tarikh al-Sudan. Several of the names are spelled in a variety of ways in different manuscripts. [90][91] His reign is considered the golden age of Mali. You cannot download interactives. . By 1350, the empire covered approximately 478,819 square miles (1,240,140km2). Ibn Khaldun recorded that in 776 A.H or 1374/1375 AD he interviewed a Sijilmasan scholar named Muhammad b. Wasul who had lived in Gao and had been employed in its judiciary. [129] The county level administrators called kafo-tigui (county-master) were appointed by the governor of the province from within his own circle. The mansa could also replace a farba if he got out of control, as in the case of Diafunu. [20] For the later period of the Mali Empire, the major written primary sources are Portuguese accounts of the coastal provinces of Mali and neighboring societies.[21]. Songhai forces under the command of Askia Muhammad I defeated the Mali general Fati Quali Keita in 1502 and seized the province of Diafunu. The "Qur'an" had a great importance to Mansa Musa as it states "God loves the charitable" (Document D). After a mere nine months of rule, Mansa Camba Keita was deposed by one of Maghan Keita I's three sons. 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. [62] According to one account given by Ibn Khaldun, Musa's general Saghmanja conquered Gao. [122] This campaign gutted Manden and destroyed any hope of the three mansas cooperating to free their land. [76] The latter possibility is corroborated by Ibn Khaldun calling Suleyman Musa's son in that passage, suggesting he may have confused Musa's brother Suleyman with Musa's son Maghan. Like two mansolu (rulers of Mali) before him, Ms I undertook the hajj as an act of devotion in line with Islamic tradition. Different oral traditions conflict with each other, as well as Ibn Khaldun, about the transfer of power following Sunjata's death. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. 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. Masuta the Descended - The RuneScape Wiki In Niani, Musa built the Hall of Audience, a building communicating by an interior door to the royal palace. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2147/mansa-musa-family-tree--empire-of-mali/. published on 17 October 2020. [46] Kangaba became the last refuge of the Keita royal family after the collapse of the Mali Empire, and so has for centuries been associated with Sundiata in the cultural imagination of Mande peoples. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2147/mansa-musa-family-tree--empire-of-mali/. Alternate titles: Kankan Ms, Mansa Musa, Mousa, Musa. Editing: Jack Rackam. 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. The date of Mansa Musa's death is not certain. Under his reign, Mali conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Songhai. He also states that Djata or "Jatah" means "lion". How Europe Planned to Steal from African King Mansa Musa - YouTube According to Burkinab writer Joseph Ki-Zerbo, the farther a person travelled from Niani, the more decentralised the mansa's power became. [43] In 1324, while in Cairo, Musa said that he had conquered 24 cities and their surrounding districts.[44]. 4. During the 17th century, the Mali Empire faced incursions from the Bamana Empire. With trade being disrupted by wars, there was no way for the economy to continue to prosper. [123] Segou, defended by Bitn Coulibaly, successfully defended itself and Mama Maghan was forced to withdraw. Every year merchants entered Mali via Oualata with camel loads of salt to sell in Niani. 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. Musa is known for his wealth and generosity. [33] Some modern historians have cast doubt on Musa's version of events, suggesting he may have deposed his predecessor and devised the story about the voyage to explain how he took power. [78] There was evidently a power struggle of some kind involving the gbara or great council and donson ton or hunter guilds. [5] In c. 1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. Its first meeting, at the famous Kouroukan Fouga (Division of the World), had 29 clan delegates presided over by a belen-tigui (master of ceremony). The Mali Empire expanded through conquest or annexation. Answer (1 of 3): The same thing that happened to anybody else's wealth in history: it was spent, looted, donated, or otherwise distributed. [137], Copper was also a valued commodity in imperial Mali. Mansa Musa Family Tree - World History Encyclopedia However, territories that were crucial to trade or subject to revolt would receive a farba. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. At the height of its power, Mali had at least 400 cities, and the interior of the Niger Delta was very densely populated. 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. Al-Umari reported that Mali had fourteen provinces. Trade was Mali's form of income, and wealth. . By 1180 it had even subjugated Wagadou forcing the Sonink to pay tribute. In search of a status discourse for Mande". Mansa Musa began extending the shores of the empire alongside amassing great wealth and riches. [16] However, al-Umari gives Mali as the name of the capital province and Ibn Khaldun refers to Mali as a people, with each giving different names for the capital city itself. ", "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen Age", "Towards a New Study of the So-Called Trkh al-fattsh", World History Encyclopedia Mansa Musa I, History Channel: Mansa Moussa: Pilgrimage of Gold, Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mansa_Musa&oldid=1142573327, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Mansa Musa was portrayed in two games in the, Mansa Musa was portrayed in the episode ", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 05:05. [132], The Mali Empire flourished because of its trade above all else. We all know of Mansa Musa, possibly the richest man to ever exist. "[42], Early European writers such as Maurice Delafosse believed that Niani, a city on what is now the border between Guinea and Mali, was the capital for most of the empire's history, and this notion has taken hold in the popular imagination. Under Mansa Ms, Timbuktu grew to be a very important commercial city having caravan connections with Egypt and with all other important trade centres in North Africa. The Mansa led the second expedition himself, and appointed Musa as his deputy to rule the empire until he returned. [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. This trend would continue into colonial times against Tukulor enemies from the west.[121]. [104] He would only reign a year before a descendant of Mansa Gao Keita removed him.[70]. Mansa Mari Djata Keita II became seriously ill in 1372,[93] and power moved into the hands of his ministers until his death in 1374. It then seized Timbuktu from the Tuareg in 1468 under Sunni Ali Ber. Musa conquered more than 20 major cities in his lifetime. 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. His reign is associated with numerous construction projects, including part of Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu. [24] The empire's total area included nearly all the land between the Sahara Desert and coastal forests. Why did Ms I make a pilgrimage to Mecca? Log in, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? - BBC News Still, throne names do not usually indicate blood relations. If Dakajalan was, in fact, situated near Kangaba, this may also have contributed to their conflation, beginning with Delafosse's speculation that the latter may have begun as a suburb of the former. [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 World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. [115], Mali's fortunes seem to have improved in the second half of the 16th century. Mansa Musa was the great nephew of Sundiata Keita, who was founder . The empire taxed every ounce of gold, copper and salt that entered its borders. It is unknown from whom he descended; however, another emperor, Mansa Maghan Keita III, is sometimes cited as Mansa Mahmud Keita I. This was due to the tax on trade in and out of the empire, along with all the gold Mansa Musa had. 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. It contained three immense gold mines within its borders unlike the Ghana Empire, which was only a transit point for gold. Also, Sundiata divided the lands amongst the people assuring everyone had a place in the empire and fixed exchange rates for common products[127]. [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. At each halt, he would regale us [his entourage] rare foods and confectionery. [75] When the campaigning was done, his empire extended 1,000 miles (1,600km) east to west with those borders being the bends of the Senegal and Niger rivers respectively. [87] The figure of Fajigi combines both Islam and traditional beliefs. His leadership of Mali, a state which stretched across two thousand . [g] Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of the Mali Empire. Upon his return in 1324, Ms Is pious pilgrimage inspired him to commission two enormous mosques in Timbuktu and Gao. He was deposed in 1389, marking the end of the Faga Laye Keita mansas. [83] He is criticized for being unfaithful to tradition, and some of the jeliw regard Musa as having wasted Mali's wealth. [51] Musa made a major point of showing off his nation's wealth. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. An army was required to guard the borders to protect its flourishing trade. [120] Each ruler used the title of mansa, but their authority only extended as far as their own sphere of influence. In their own country they use only slave women and men for transport, but for long journeys such as pilgrimages they have mounts. Accounts of how many people and how much gold he spent vary. It wasn't long before the new kingdom of Great Fulo was warring against Mali's remaining provinces. There is some ambiguity over the identity of the mansa responsible for the voyages. Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? - BBC News Then, in 1630, the Bamana of Djenn declared their version of holy war on all Muslim powers in present-day Mali. The date of Mahmud's death and identity of his immediate successor are not recorded, and there is a gap of 65 years before another mansa's identity is recorded. The exact date of Musa's accession is debated. Does Mansa Musa have any living descendants? - Quora [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. Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History. [47], According to Jules Vidal and Levtzion, citing oral histories from Kangaba and Keyla, another onetime capital was Manikoro or Mali-Kura, founded after the destruction of Niani. Mansa Musa's reign itself was 25 years long. In 1203, the Sosso king Soumaoro of the Kant clan came to power and reportedly terrorised much of Manden stealing women and goods from both Dodougou and Kri. He ruled oppressively and nearly bankrupted Mali with his lavish spending. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. UsefulCharts, . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Mss rule defined the golden age of Mali. [81] He went on the hajj during the reign of Mamluk sultan Baibars (12601277). 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. His equipment furnishings were carried by 12.000 private slave women (Wasaif) wearing gown and brocade (dibaj) and Yemeni silk []. Musa is known for his wealth and generosity. 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. [114] However, the Songhai do not maintain their hold on the Malian capital. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. Mansa Sandaki Keita, a descendant of kankoro-sigui Mari Djata Keita, deposed Maghan Keita II, becoming the first person without any Keita dynastic relation to officially rule Mali. [86] As Fajigi, Musa is sometimes conflated with a figure in oral tradition named Fakoli, who is best known as Sunjata's top general. Medieval Map Points to World's Richest Man, Maybe Ever [40] In fact, there is a conspicuous absence of archaeological samples of any kind from Niani dated to the late 13th through early 15th centuries, suggesting that Niani may have been uninhabited during the heyday of the Mali Empire. [82], Musa is less renowned in Mand oral tradition as performed by the jeliw. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Ms Is hajj left a lasting impression of Malis splendour on both the Islamic and European worlds. The Cairo that Mansa Ms visited was ruled by one of the greatest of the Mamlk sultans, Al-Malik al-Nir. [40], Various sources cite several other cities as capitals of the Mali Empire, some in competition with the Niani hypothesis and others addressing different time periods. [70] Two noble brothers from Niani, of unknown lineage, went to Dioma with an army and drove out the Fula Wassoulounk.