1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. 1255, the kings of Mali were referred to by the title mansa. 1235 gave the Mali Empire access to the trans-Saharan trade routes.įollowing the death of Sundiata Keita in c.
Sundiata Keita was a warrior-prince of the Keita dynasty who was called upon to free the Mali people from the rule of the king of the Sosso Empire, Soumaoro Kanté. Sundiata Keita is the first ruler for which there is accurate written information (through Ibn Khaldun). The early history of the Mali Empire (before the 13th century) is unclear, as there are conflicting and imprecise accounts by both Arab chroniclers and oral traditionalists. During this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states such as Bonoman. During the 11th and 12th centuries, it began to develop as an empire following the decline of the Ghana Empire, or Wagadu, to the north.
The empire began a small Mandinka kingdom at the upper reaches of the Niger River, centered around the Manding. The other major source of information is Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots. Much of the recorded information about the Mali Empire comes from 14th-century North African Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, 14th-century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta and 16th-century Moroccan traveller Leo Africanus. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, profoundly and widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws and customs. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. 1255) and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita). The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. The Mali Empire ( Manding: Mandé or Manden Arabic: مالي, romanized: Mālī) was an empire in West Africa from c.
Sacred Animal:Falcon and numerous other animals according to each of the governing clans ( Lion etc.)