Mansa Musa Influence

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One of the most powerful Mali kings was Mansa Musa, from 1280-1337 CE, reigned from 1312-1337. Mansa Musa was a key leader in the cultural transformation of the Mali people and incorporation of the Islamic faith as a staple within the West African culture. In 1324, Mansa Musa traveled to Mecca, where he not only learned of the Islamic faith, but also made several key ties to the Islamic community throughout Africa and the Middle East. Mansa Musa’s interest in Islam, meant that the leader built mosques, encouraged school construction, brought books into Mali, and scholars to guide the Mali people towards the Islamic faith. The Mansa Musa transformation meant that Mali became a major intellectual center in West Africa.
Like the Ghana, the Mali established themselves through the gold trade with the Berbers. The Mali cities were centers of wealth and prosperity. One of the most famous was Timbuktu, a trading city in the middle of the Sahara Desert that was so secretive in …show more content…

The development Africa’s eastern coast was through maritime trade with Muslims and Chinese as early as the 13th century. Central Africa, on the other hand, was slow to develop due to geographic and climate conditions. The East and Central Africa played a unique role in the formation and rise of new and diverse cultures in Africa between 1300-1450 CE. The climate of Africa’s east coast ranges from deserts, to plains, to tropical areas. The diverse climate makes it difficult to generalize about the individual people and cultures found in the region. While climate is important to understanding the various cultures in East Africa, it is the animals that are the primary factor in the establishment of groups of people between 1300-1450 CE. Animals such as the elephant and rhinoceros were resources that early traders were interested in acquiring for

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