Culture

The Empire of Mali had a mix of Islamic culture and African culture. Most of the Islamic influences came into Mali when Mansa Musa was king because he was Islamic and went on a very famous hajj. While he was in Mecca he saw all the advanced architecture, artwork and other displays of knowledge. Musa admired them so much that when he went back to Mali he brought with him architects and scholars from Mecca. A lot of these Islamic influences could be reflected in Timbuktu which, at the time, was a major center of education, culture, and trade. Mansa Musa had libraries, universities, and mosques built in Timbuktu. Religion was very important to people in Mali and one major religion was Islam. Islam was taken very seriously in Mali. When they were children most of the Malinke had to memorize the Quran by heart and if they couldn't they were punished until they could. Mansa Musa also had many mosques built in the Mali kingdom and spread the Islamic culture over the Mali Empire.

Geography

The Mali empire developed in the Sahel Zone which is a region below the Sahara desert. The Sahel zone is a semi-arid region where most people in Africa live. It could also be called a savanna which is a large grassy plain with scattered shrubs and trees. This made it easier to farm and get food. The Empire was established on the Niger River which made it easier for people to travel and trade. At its height covered most of West Africa. It reached from modern day Benin all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The geography of West Africa allowed Mali to become prosperous and wealthy, and allowed it to disprove the European stereotypes about Africa.

Economy

The Economy of the Mali Empire was mostly based on trade, especially the gold trade. Mali acted as the middleman between North African traders and the Africans who lived south of Mali. They controlled trade with army of Mali so it was a safe place to trade. The Malinke also taxed traded goods like salt and gold. By doing this Mali became even wealthier and more powerful than its predecessor, Ghana. Mali also had many other trade routes going from North Africa to East Africa and to the Horn of Africa. The Malinke people used boats and camel caravans to travel and to transport their goods. Two big trading cities at that time were Timbuktu and Gao. Also, to make sure that the value of gold, their main trade good, did not drop the rulers of Mali limited the amount of gold people in the empire could sell and buy.

Political

Contrary to European beliefs, the kingdom of Mali had a strong political system. The overall ruler of Mali was the king, but below him there were ruling chiefs, who controlled the provinces, and tribal chiefs, who were in charge of the villages. A major part of Mali's government was the Gbara which was the assembly of all the tribal leaders. They followed an oral constitution called the Kouroukan Fouga which was spilt up into four sections: social classes, property rights, enviormental relations, and personal responsibility. The leaders used the Kouroukan Fouga to govern the rights and responsibilities of each tribe that made up the kingdom of Mali.

Some important kings of ancient Mali are:

Sundiata: the first king and founder of the Mali empire

Mansa Musa: ruled during the Golden Age of Mali, tooka famous pilgramige to Mecca and brought back Islamic culture and influences

European Historian Beliefs

Most Europeans in this time period had the same opinions about the continent of Africa, more specifically the Mali kingdom, that historians like Hugh Trevor-Roper and Georg Hegel had, that Africa was a "dark" continent. In this sense "dark" is a synonym of uncivilized, and prehistoric. Civilizations like Mali were believed to have no history or advancements of any kind. All achievements were attributed to Asians or Europeans, and some people refused to believe that colored people had arrived in Africa before white people. In the opinion of Europeans there were no civilized kingdoms, empires, cities, or states, only barbaric tribes with no government system. Although these thoughts were common among people at this time they were untrue, especially about the kingdom of Mali, and this blog will tell why.