Mansa Musa, fourteenth century sovereign of the Mali Empire, is the medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa. His intricate journey to the Muslim heavenly city of Mecca in 1324 acquainted him with rulers in the Middle East and in Europe. His authority of Mali, a state which extended crosswise over two thousand miles from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad and which incorporated all or parts of the cutting edge countries of Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad, guaranteed many years of peace and flourishing in Western Africa. In 1312 Musa got to be sovereign after the passing of his antecedent, Abu-Bakr II. When he was delegated, he was given the name Mansa meaning ruler. Mansa Musa was learned in Arabic and was depicted as a Muslim traditionalist. He turned into the main Muslim ruler in West Africa to make the about four thousand mile voyage to Mecca. Planning for the undertaking took years and included the work of artisans in various towns and urban communities crosswise over Mali. In 1324 Musa started his journey with a company of a huge number of escorts. He additionally brought extensive measures of gold, some of which was conveyed along the way. …show more content…
On his stop in Cairo, Egypt, the Emperor gave out so much gold that he produced a brief decrease in its esteem. Cairo's gold market recuperated over 10 years after the
He decided to improve the status of his land on his arrival from a pilgrimage from Mecca in 1324. Furthermore, he transformed his trading city of Timbuktu to a center of learning and religion and built a mass, which set a new style of architecture in West Africa. “Caravans of Gold” underlines the importance of Timbuktu because it concentrated on African scholarship, politics, teaching theology, and Islamic law. Timbuktu was a significant place in Africa during this time because it became a market right after and made a profit for the region. Likewise, it was a religious, cultural, and profitable center whose people traveled north across the Sahara through Morocco and Algeria to other parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. According to The History of Africa, “Because of his devotion to Islam, Mansa Musa strengthened Islam and promoted education, trade, and commerce in Mali” (Asante, 2014, pg. 135). It was a successful center for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade and grew as the center of Islam. This statement launches the truth that Timbuktu supported Islamic values and knowledge because it was a city most well-known for the education of important scholars whose backgrounds were of Islam. Asante supports the fact that Mansa Musa was effective in reforming the city of Timbuktu and the trade in that area. Asante also states that “Musa did not forget the control of the gold and salt; it was fundamental for the
Islam is presented in the Epic of Sundiata in a way that encourages listeners to embrace Islam over their indigenous belief systems. The epic accomplishes this by incorporating elements and practices of the indigenous beliefs into Islamic tradition; and by adapting certain Islamic mythology — such as the Jinn — to the existing West African culture. It also asserts the superior power and strength of those who derive their power from Allah and the Jinn, to those whose power is based in ancestral worship and fetishes. Through conflict, adaptation, and tolerance, the Epic of Sundiata presents an accessible version of Islam to the people of the Mali Empire; and promotes the acceptance of this new faith over the indigenous beliefs of the area.
Egypt has one of the longest histories of any nation in the world. Written history of Egypt dates back to about 5,000 years, the commencement of civilization. While there is divergence in relation to Early Egyptian times, it is said that Egypt came to be around 3200 B.C., during the reign of a king by the name of Menes and unified the northern and southern cities of Egypt into one government. In 1675 B.C., Egypt was invaded by the Hyksos, people from the east, bringing along the very first of chariots and horses ever to come across Egyptian soil. Approximately 175 years later in 1500 B.C., the Egyptians had gotten rid of the Hyksos and driven them out. In 1375 B.C., Amenhotep IV had become the king of Egypt. During his reign he eliminated the worship of Egyptian gods and initiated the idea of only worshipping one god. But after his death, his ideas were retired and old ways were reestablished. Egyptian supremacy then started to decline around 1000 B.C. Between 1000 B.C. and 332 B.C., Egypt was ruled by many such as the Libyans, Assyrians, Ethiopians, and Persians. In 640, Muslims conquered Egypt and founded the city of Cairo in 969 and deemed it as the capital of Egypt. For many centuries Egypt was ruled by Muslim caliphs. A prominent ruler of this period was Saladin, who battled the Christian Crusaders at the conclusion of the twelfth century. In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt but was then forced to withdraw in 1801 Turkish and British armed forces. In 1805 Mohamed Ali began ruling Egypt till 1848 and great changed the country in terms of modernization and its military. During Mohamed’s conquest, he borrowed a lot of money from the French and British, which later resulted in Egypt’s coloniza...
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
Egypt appealed to Great Britain for several reasons and was imperialized in 1882. Egypt was rich in ivory, gold, and spices (Berard). Great Britain was in...
Sundiata developed into a great leader of Mali through hardships, religion, and core/tributary/periphery relationships of states. The djeli who transmitted this information to the translators, is also a manifestation of an institution important in Sundiata’s epic, because without djelis these stories would be lost forever. Sundiata learned about the formation, running and maintenance of African states through interactions with the communities he was introduced to.
Ibn Battutah was a Moroccan scholar who traveled to different regions in Asia and Africa. Throughout 1325 to 1354 C.E he traversed the regions of Asia and Africa. Ibn Battutah decided after his second pilgrimage to Mecca, he would travel on the road. He documented each of the travels he did on his journey. He wrote down his experiences, his thoughts, the diverse individuals he met, the customs of the different countries and regions he visited, and the overall state of the regions he visited. Throughout his travels, Ibn Battutah found the cultures, he visited noteworthy. He was critical of some of the unique cultures as well. Some of the practices of the foreign cultures that Ibn Battutah documented completely differed from some of the customs of his culture. The differences in cultures of the made him critical of the places he visited. After Ibn Battutah returned to Morocco in 1354 after his journey, the Sultan of Morocco requested that Ibn Battutah write an account of his travels. Some of the regions Ibn Battutah traversed through are the desert region of Africa, southern Asia, the eastern coast of Africa, and China.
There was also a Kingdom called Mali that broke off from the Ghana Empire. At this time they had embraced the religion of Islam and had been under the great rule of Mansa Musa. This empire had the job of protecting the caravans or shipments carrying the goods, so that they can trade. They helped towards the function of trade so that both the importer and exporter gained something. In document 3 it explains how their wealth was great because of their trade. The document also talks about the fact that they had exhibited the characteristics of an advanced divination like sufficient food to feed its people, a strong army equipped with advanced weapons and income derived from taxes. Even though the Mali Empire had wealth there was very little corruption if there was with the ruler. He did not go mad with power but he was generous. In document four it states they there was no person who did not receive a sum of gold from him.
Ibn Battuta had many experiences when making a voyage to Mali. During his travel a man accompanied Ibn and wrote down accounts of their journey. Battuta made his journey to Mali on February 1352 to December 1353. The accounts of the voyage that are written down are not all verbatim from Ibn Battuta. How well Ibn and his companion knew geography and how well the facts were will be shown. The reason why Battuta made this journey to Mali is explained. Ibn’s overall impression and understanding of certain aspects of life in western Sudan is examined.
I. MAIN POINT: Thanks to the Ancient Egyptians, Egypt’s revenue increase by $13 billion every year due to the thousands of people who come and visit this historic monument.
(3) Sperling, David C., in Levtzion, N. and Pouwels, R. L. (2000) The History of Islam in Africa. Athens: Ohio University Press.
For a long time before then, the Egyptians had been trading gold and linen with many other countries from throughout the middle east. In exchange, they got timber, gems, copper, and perfume (World Book Encyclopedia, 224). While trading in the land of Sumer, the Anc...
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.
The medieval Islamic word for journey, Rihla, was originally associated with camelback riding. Rihla has become to be known a type of literature that fostered “the concept of al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-ʿilm, travel in search of knowledge” and is commonly used in conjunction with Ibn Battuta (“Encyclopedia of Islam”). His Rihla provides insightful detail into the daily life of Islamic culture. Initially Ibn Battuta was both young and ambitious to become a traveler. His inexperience did not prove to be an issue and he would make difficult decisions such as abandoning his belongings to continue traveling when he got sick (44). The nature of Ibn Battuta’s Rihla was nurtured by the customs and cultures in the Dar al-Islam, the territory controlled by
...n 1163 B.C., Egypt entered a period of slow decline (Scarre 1997:116). Pharaohs became less powerful, and their prestige dwindled. Hungry soldiers were terrorizing the community, while tomb robbers were raiding the pyramids for resources that were very much needed. They had buried their pharaohs with food, goods and jewelry, all of which were needed to keep the civilization in tact. They had built too many pyramids, and there were setbacks in Asia which corrupted trade. People did not understand why the pharaohs could not fix the problems that were going on. They viewed them as gods and lost trust and faith. Egypt fell apart as these things culminated with loss of belief in the pharaohs.