"Few names conjure as much mystery as that of Timbuktu. For centuries, Europeans heard legends of a mythical city in the heart of the Sahara, the source of endless caravans of gold. But it took 500 years to find it, and by then the glory was gone." The Ancient City Of Timbuktu, History Documentary
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| Extent of the Mali Empire (c. 1350) |
The Mali Empire (Manding: Nyeni; English: Niani), also historically referred to as the Manden Kurufaba, was a Mandinka/Bambara empire in West Africa from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa. The Mali Empire profoundly influenced the culture of West Africa through the spread of its language, laws and customs along the lands along the Niger River and extending over a large area that consisted of numerous vassal kingdoms and provinces.
The name Mālī (مالي) was recorded as the name of the empire by Ibn Battuta (d. 1368/9).
According to Battuta's contemporary Chihab al-Umari (d. 1384), the name of the empire
was Nyeni (Niani), after its capital. Alternative variants of the name Mali
included Mallel, Mel, and Melit.
The native name Manden for the territory was
eponymous of the name of the ethnic group, the Manden’ka, with the ka suffix
meaning "people of". From the evidence of the Epic of Sundiata, a
semi-historical account of the empire's foundation in the early 13th
century, the territory with this name comprised most of present-day northern
Guinea and southern Mali. The empire originated as a federation of Mandinka
tribes called the Manden Kurufaba (Manden being the country, kuru meaning
"assembly" and faba meaning "great entirety"). The rulers
of Mali came to be called mansa, meaning “emperor” or “master.” Mansa Musa was
Mali’s most renowned king, ruling from 1312 to 1337 CE. He was the grandson of
Sundiata’s half brother, and ruled Mali at a time of great prosperity, during
which trade tripled. During his rule, he doubled the land area of Mali; it
became a larger kingdom than any in Europe at the time. The cities of Mali
became important trading centers for all of West Africa as well as famous
centers of wealth, culture, and learning. Timbuktu, an important city in Mali,
became one of the major cultural centers not only of Africa but of the entire
world. Vast libraries and Islamic universities were built. These became meeting
places of the finest poets, scholars, and artists of Africa and the Middle
East. Mansa Musa, who was Muslim, was perhaps best known outside of Mali for
his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 C.E. According to some accounts, 60,000 people
accompanied him, along with 200 camels laden with gold, silver, food, clothing,
and other goods. This pilgrimage displayed Mansa Musa’s enormous wealth and
generosity
Credits: Wikipedia
Chronology of Timbuktu
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