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The Mali Empire was an Islamic Empire of the Mandinka people in West Africa from the 14th to 17th centuries. The
empire was founded by the king, or Mansa,
Sundiata Keita, was famous for the generosity and wealth of Mansa
Kankan Musa I, and for the fabled wealth of the city of Tombouctou.
After the Ghana Empire had been weakened the Soso Kingdom filled the power vacuum and conqured many surrounding peoples including the Mandinka. When the Mandinka
were conquered the Soso king, Sumanguru
Kante, executed his brother, the Mandinka king, and eleven of his twelve sons. Sumanguru spared the twelfth son, Sundiata Keita, either because he took pity on the boy's fragile health or
thought it likely he would die any way. Sundiata eventually overcame his physical obstacles and grew into a strong young man. He
led a Mandinka revolt against Soso rule, and his forces routed Sumanguru at Kirina. Sundiata converted to Islam as gesture of goodwill to Islamic trader, after the defeat of
Sumanguru. The Epic of
Sundiata is part of the oral tradition of the Mandinka and is still told today.
Sundiata's grandson, Mansa Kankan Musa I or Musa I ruled over the Mali Empire while it was the source of almost half the
world's gold. Musa was a devoted Muslim and Islamic scholarship
flourished under his rule. With Musa as a benefactor, Sankore University in Tombouctou reached its height. Craftsmen and especially Islamic
scholars came from all over the Muslim world to receive a free education at Sankore's guilds and madrasas. Musa is, perhaps, most famous for his hajj in 1324. On his pilgrimage to Mecca, Musa gave gold away generously. When he passed
through Cairo, he gave out so much gold that the price of gold didn't recover for 20
years. Unfortunately Musa was so generous that he ran out of money and had to take out a loan to be able to afford the journey home. Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the
Islamic and Christian worlds.
The famous Muslim] traveller ibn Battuta visited the Mali Empire in the
years 1352 and 1353, and his account is an important
first-hand written description of this empire.
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