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Rise and fall of Mali Empire
Rise and fall of Mali Empire
Rise and fall of Mali Empire
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Did you know that Mansa Musa was the wealthiest person in history? He became so rich due to cultural exchange, and Mali itself had an abundance of resources to trade with other countries. Mali became a sight for cultural exchange because of trade, technology, and culture. This grand empire was established in 1235 CE, and Mali’s great wealth came from gold and salt mines. While Mansa Musa was in Timbuktu, he converted people into the religion of Islam, and expanded the city. He also made it a trade center for learning, and built a university and a few mosques. As you can see, Mali was a huge sight for cultural exchange, and it was a very successful reign.
Mali became a sight for cultural exchange because of trade, helpful Mansas,
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Making the long and difficult journey across the savannah was difficult, but they got rewarded with the gold in the end. “One effect of the exchanges was that West Africa became connected to the Islamic trade networks and thus to all of Afro-Eurasia.” (according to the UC Davis History-Social Science Project Lesson Plan on Sites of Encounter in the Medieval World-Mali) West Africa traded through an Islamic trade network. This allowed new people to introduce different parts of their cultures and lifestyles to Mali. Because of this, they began to establish new ways to form their own unique culture and …show more content…
During their stay, they converted the Berber peoples to Islam, and began to convert other people in West Africa to Islam too. Mansa Musa, the king of Mali, built a pilgrimage to Mecca. About 100 camel loads of gold. came with him, and he and his crew traveled from city to city. Mansa Musa was extremely wealthy and built a lot of mosques, and madrassas. He also wanted the people in Timbuktu to convert into the religion of Islam. Aside from all of this, the goal and main purpose of this pilgrimage was to convert everyone into Islam. This was a successful mission because Mansa Musa helped the citizens of Africa to see how amazing Islam was, and he triumphantly expressed the good in this new religion. “Muslims there built a university that was well respected in the Islamic world, and students and teachers traveled to study and read its manuscripts.” (UC Davis History-Social Science Project Lesson Plan on Sites of Encounter in the Medieval
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.
The African empires, kingdoms, and cities had many achievements before the arrival of the Europeans. Some of these achievements had influences many other places in the world. Three major achievements were the trading systems, their military forces and strengths of its people, and the wealth and success.
African society used bodies of water such as the Nile, the Red Sea, and many more to transport goods across the continent and generate profit. For example, the city of “Aksum reached its height between 325-360. Aksum’s location made it an important international trading center.” After analyzing the map of trade routes in Document 1, it is clear Aksum was strategically built to have ties to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These two bodies of water give the city the freedom to import and export goods. Additionally, this work of trade did not come without reward. Cities who succeeded in the business became overly wealthy and had surpluses of gold and other riches. A king, Mansa Mansa, who expanded the Mali kingdom to be twice the size of Ghana, was not afraid to show his wealth as he showered other cities in riches out of generosity. In Cairo, Egypt, “there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him.” This is just one of the many examples of wealth in african cities and empires. What is impressive is the fact that before European trade became an influence, African people had already created a successful and very profitable system of
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.
The Portuguese arrived in Benin, in modern Nigeria, between 1472 and 1486 to find an established and ancient kingdom with remarkable social and ritual complexity, with art that was comparatively naturalistic, and with a political system that was, on the surface, recognizable to the Europeans: monarchy. Even more importantly, they found a land rich in pepper, cloth, ivory, and slaves, and immediately set out to establish trade (Ben-Amos 35-6). Though we often imagine "first contacts" between Europeans and Africans as clashes of epochal proportions, leaving Europeans free to manipulate and coerce the flabbergasted and paralyzed Africans, this misjudges the resilience and indeed, preparedness, of the Benin people. The Benin were able to draw on their cultural, political, and religious traditions to fit the European arrival in an understandable context. Indeed, as the great brass plaques of the Benin palace demonstrate, the arrival was in fact manipulated by the Benin to strengthen, not diminish, indigenous royal power.
As the world of trade developed over time, goods were not the only things that were traded throughout these routes. With the merchants that traveled the world, were the ideals and religions that had learned from foreign lands, and the major religions of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, spread like wildfire throughout the regions of Eurasia and Africa because of this. The spread of Islam throughout the continent of Africa acted as a major influence both politically and socially. After 1600, Islam began to make its mark on the newly centralized states in Africa and was spread through western land trade, and through merchants on the Swahili coast. The major gold trading center of the Kingdom of Ghana, attracted merchants, and was a center for the Muslim community . By the 10th century, the kings of Ghana had converted to Islam in order to improve the relation between the kings and merchants. The early converts of Central and West Africa did not e...
The kingdom rose to power and used its resources to become wealthy and prominent. Mali used its central trading location and surplus of valuable goods such as gold, salt, and copper to become the strongest and most powerful trading nation in Africa and Southern Europe. The nation had a strong leader in Mansa Musa who brought order, the Islamic faith, great economics, and an emphasis of scholarship to Mali, all of which were crucial to the country's success. Mali became an Islamic nation which brought a sense of togetherness for the citizens of Mali but gave Mali strong ties with other Islamic Nations. This togetherness helped Mali obtain peace and civility and helped in diplomacy. Mali’s Military also served as valuable asset in its rise to power. The army protected trade routes, helped keep peace and order in the country, expanded its borders and secured tribute from other countries. Mali’s success as a nation can be attributed to many different factors all of which were crucial in the development of the empire. Mali rose to great heights and flourished as nation. Their success should be respected and admired by
Prior to colonialism of Africa, it was far from being economically unstable and had a good standing economy compared to the rest of the world. African countries such as Mali were involved in international trade and their wealth depended profoundly on the trade in gold, but also on the collecting of taxes. The Europeans detected how successful the African gold trade was and wanted to use this success for their own self-interested gains. This was a paradox towards Europeans because they were seen as this powerful nation because they colonized Africa, but still depended greatly on Africa’s supply of gold. “Caravans of Gold” expresses how significant Africa was in many situations, including how they contributed to the Europeans success as a nation.
Mali is a landlocked country in North West Africa. It is bordered with Algeria to the South, Niger to the East, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire to the south and Senegal and Mauritania to the west. Modern day Mali is nowhere close to what it was at its peak in the 1300s. It was a flourishing empire, and one of the three empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade. It covered twice the size of modern day France, meaning around 1,500,000 kilometres square. However during the Scramble of Africa, France seized control of Mali making it a part of French Sudan. After the independence from the French, French Sudan became the Federation of Mali. However Senegal left, leaving Sudan occupying Mali. After a coup in 1991, Mali became an independent country. Now however, Mali is 1,240,000 Kilometres Square with a Gross Domestic Product of just 631 dollars per capita, compared to 43,185 dollars per capita in the United Arab Emirates. Mali has a population of around 14 million people. The southern part of Mali is more populated because it features the Niger and Senegal rivers. Mali’s prominent natural resource is gold. Actually it is the third largest producer of gold in all of Africa, but however the country is still poor. One of the arising problems in Mali, is humanitarian rights. The Tuareg rebellion, and a political upheaval generated by a March military coup led to a deterioration in respect to the human rights in Mali. After the occupation of the North, the respect to the human rights in Mali fell drastically forcing about 400,000 northern residents being displaced. Several armed groups, took control of territories in the North, and abused civilians. This abuse includes sexual abuse, looting and pillaging houses, and setting executions, rec...
In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.
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 spread of Islam in Africa had taken course from a number of factors, including external and internal forces. After my analyzing of the spread of Islam in Africa, I have gather three main themes that stuck out during the expansion of Islam: Islam and trade, the conversion conditions of Islam, and the economics/political development involving Islam. These three themes provide great insight on how Islam started to spread through out Africa. Through trade the culture and religion of Islam was spread to many different areas. This correlates to the conversion of different people, which helped spread Islam. By these conversions Islam was able to establish Islamic states, which played a factor in the development of strong economic and political
The conversion to Christianity took place when Christian supporters visited Africa during trading deals and Christianity was the source of commercial development in the African nation” (Bentley et al, 2008 p 297). Along with the arrival of Christianity, (Bentley et al, 2008 ) states that “Islam, also a religion of salvation, reached Africa via trade routes as well and that some merchants were fascinated by Islam’s cultural establishment, which enable them to conduct business relationships with other Muslim merchants” (p 297). While Christianity established a foothold in the African kingdom, (AllAboutReligion, 2010) points out that “The spread of Christianity throughout Egypt and Northern Africa… was rapid and intense… “(para 3).
What is culture, one might ask? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, culture is the “customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group or the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time” (Culture). Five major characteristics that define a culture include culture is learned, culture is shared, culture is symbolic, culture is all-encompassing, and culture is integrated. Culture depends on the human capacity for cultural learning that encompasses shared rules for conduct and that are dependent upon symbols. Cultures can be integrated by using “social and economic forces, core values, and key symbols” (Mirror for Humanity, 2002). This essay will elaborate on the physical geography and military history of Sub-Saharan Africa, an analysis of its weather, and an overview of the ASCOPE acronym.
Christianity is the largest religion in sub-Saharan Africa, it was first introduced to north Africa, it slowly started spreading west to Ethiopia. But even with Christianity slowly spreading throughout Africa, it wasn’t prominent until slavery, where Christianity was being forced upon the enslaved Africans by the Europeans. There’s different variations to the Christianity religion, everybody practices and worship in their own way; but some things they do have in common is that Christians do have places of worship no matter what type of Christian you are, there is always a church for the people to worship and praise god. Even though most people interpret the bible differently, all Christians still use the bible as their layout of worship. The last religion I wanted to highlight was the Islam religion; there’s about 234 million Africans that follow the Islam religion. Most of the Africans who practiced the Islam faith was centered in north Africa, but even with all these religions being based in Africa; Muslims had a different way of worshipping their god. Muslims called their God (Allah), which was founded by the prophet Muhammed in the seventh century. Christianity and Judaism influenced the Islam religion, it