Mali Empire

Gold-rich Sahelian empire of Sundiata and Mansa Musa, whose Timbuktu became a city of books.

Core Principles & Analysis

• The Epic of Sundiata, kept alive by griots, recounts its founding around 1235.
• Mansa Musa’s 1324 pilgrimage spent so much gold that prices in Cairo reportedly sagged for years.
• Timbuktu’s Sankore mosque anchored a manuscript culture of tens of thousands of volumes.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: ~1235 – 1600
• REGION: West Africa