Mali Empire

PRESENT LIVES OF EGYPT AND MALI You actually do not need to dive deeply into the African history to learn about its rich civilization. We associate themes like cultural and religious beliefs, architectural patterns and government as characteristics of a developed society. Though, most westerners hardly recognize the value of the African history some of the greatest features of civilization were found in Africa. Namely, pyramids in Egypt, Islam practice in both Mali and Egypt, and…

In the Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali, the narrator an griot, “...the counsellors of kings,they conserved the constitutions of kingdoms by memory work alone..(Sundiata pg.xxiii)”, Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate, begins with the mention of the King, “ Maghan Kon Fatta… father of the great Sundiata, which had three wives and six children…(Sun.Pg.3)”. The King did rule with one single wife, not being in a monogamous relationship was not emphasized by griot, although having wive means the believe of sanctity…

perhaps, will be a king. You can do nothing about it. You, on the other hand, will be unlucky, but you can do nothing about that either. Each man finds his way already marked out for him and he can change nothing of it. (Naine, Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali 15) “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples” are both epics that follows the lives of two heroes as they embark upon a journey throughout their lives facing different trials and tribulations which…

In ancient Mali, many great leaders had prophecies about their futures. The use of soothsayers and priests to tell the future was widespread, but especially distinct among leaders, who would go to great lengths to get their future foretold. However, there is much more to being a good leader than just a prophecy. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali by D.T. Niani is the story of one such leader with a prophecy and his quest to become great. Throughout the text, there are actions Sundiata must take and…

West Africa, like most places had rises and falls of kingdom, and some of the greatest ones, was the Kingdom of Ghana, which fell to the Kingdom of Mali, and the Kingdom of Songhai, surpassing Mali. Through much strife and success, Sundiata Keita was the founder of the Mali empire. You would imagine, someone who founded an empire would be a very strong and healthy person. That was Sundiata Keita for you, but he wasn’t always like that. Born around 1217 BC, Sundiata was a sickly boy who was the…

the Western Sahara. They soon came into conflict with Ghana. The details of the conflict are hazy. Some Arab sources claim that Koumbi Saleh, Ghana’s capital, was attacked. But archaeological evidence does not support this. In any case, the Ghana Empire managed to fight off the Almoravids, who went into decline in the next century. In the twelfth century, Ghana began including more Muslims in its government. These included diplomats and the master of the treasury. By the end of the 1100s, all…

traders where they needed to go quicker than they could walk. Not only was this a pragmatic event, it also brought about people of diverse origins and enabled the mixing of culture and religion. This phenomenon brought about the rise of the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. Because of the trading activity and prosperous nature of some of the land, this enticed some traders to stay and settle along the Savannah Belt. Not only did they stay, they later married Bantu women in…

underestimated for any country. All these factors have both direct and indirect roles in the development of a country's’ culture. Senegal once was part of the West African Empire of Ghana, Tekur, and Mali. The nation takes its name from the river that runs along its north-east borders, making the frontier with Mauritania and Mali. A poetic saying from the Wolof people states that the name derives from the local term Sunugal, meaning "our dugout canoe" (everyone is in the same boat). The…

Africa, Mali made a lasting on the Silk Road with their history, geography and trade. There were more differences than similarities between the two. Things such as geography are obviously different but there is more to it like history and trading. The Silk Road started at 200 bc while Mali was founded before 1000 ad. The Silk Road traded slaves, spices, cloth, and other goods. Mali traded gold mainly but other goods as well. A clear difference is, the history of both the Silk Road and Mali.…

Throughout the 13th and 16th centuries, the Mali and Songhai Empires rose to power in Western Africa, through an accomplished trading system and powerful legitimate emperors. The Mali Empire was ruled by many emperors, two of which were Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa. Sundiata and his 11 brothers were seeked to be killed by Sumanguru, ruler of the neighboring state of Kaniaga who wanted to expand his state of the land of the Mali Empire. Because of his childhood disability, Sumanguru spared his…