[16], Al-Yafii gave Musa's name as Musa ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi al-Aswad (Arabic: , romanized:Ms ibn Ab Bakr ibn Ab al-Aswad),[17] and Ibn Hajar gave Musa's name as Musa ibn Abi Bakr Salim al-Takruri. He made his wealth and that of Mali known through a long and extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, the 17th year of his reign as emperor of Mali. In search of a status discourse for Mande". Following the death of Sundiata Keita in c. 1255, the kings of Mali were referred to by the title mansa. Upon his return in 1324, Ms Is pious pilgrimage inspired him to commission two enormous mosques in Timbuktu and Gao. The Bamana, likewise, vowed not to advance farther upstream than Niamina. As founded by Mari Djata, it was composed of the "three freely allied states" of Mali, Mema and Wagadou plus the Twelve Doors of Mali.[60]. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musas developments. We care about our planet! 24 June, 2022. His elaborate pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in 1324 introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe. The empire taxed every ounce of gold, copper and salt that entered its borders. 1312 is the most widely accepted by modern historians. In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. Last modified October 17, 2020. Much of the history is oral, given by professional "historians". The buildings were constructed from slabs of salt and roofed with camel skins. Stories of his fabulous wealth even reached Europe. Khalifa would shoot arrows at his subjects, so he was overthrown and killed. [80] Ibn Khaldun regarded Wali as one of Mali's greatest rulers. [70] Two noble brothers from Niani, of unknown lineage, went to Dioma with an army and drove out the Fula Wassoulounk. [74] The combined forces of northern and southern Manden defeated the Sosso army at the Battle of Kirina (then known as Krina) in approximately 1235. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2147/mansa-musa-family-tree--empire-of-mali/. Musa is reported to have reigned for 25 years, and different lines of evidence suggest he died either. Biti, Buti, Yiti, Tati). Ibn Khaldun recorded that in 776 A.H or 1374/1375 AD he interviewed a Sijilmasan scholar named Muhammad b. Wasul who had lived in Gao and had been employed in its judiciary. [97] Though this has been described as having "wrecked" Egypt's economy,[85] the historian Warren Schultz has argued that this was well within normal fluctuations in the value of gold in Mamluk Egypt. [20] Arab interest in the Mali Empire declined after the Songhai conquered the northern regions of the empire which formed the primary contact between Mali and the Arab world. Mahmud Keita, possibly a grandchild or great-grandchild of Mansa Gao Keita, was crowned Mansa Maghan Keita III in 1390. Log in, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Afterward, he put himself and his kingdom, West Africa's Mali, on the map, literally. [44] Niani's reputation as an imperial capital may derive from its importance in the late imperial period, when the Songhai Empire to the northeast pushed Mali back to the Manding heartland. Ms Is pilgrimage caravan to Mecca in 1324 comprised some 60,000 people and an immeasurable amount of gold. Gold dust was used all over the empire, but was not valued equally in all regions. [108], Despite their power in the west, Mali was losing the battle for supremacy in the north and northeast. He built mosques and large public buildings in cities like Gao and, most famously, Timbuktu. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. Mansa Ms, either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, came to the throne in 1307. The "Qur'an" had a great importance to Mansa Musa as it states "God loves the charitable" (Document D). From the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu. The Mali Empire (Manding: Mand[3] or Manden; Arabic: , romanized:Ml) was an empire in West Africa from c. 1226 to 1670. The Wangara, an Old Soninke Diaspora in West Africa? On the return from Takedda to Morocco, his caravan transported 600 female servants, suggesting that indentured servitude was a substantial part of the commercial activity of the empire.[134]. Under his reign, Mali conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Songhai. [95] Musa himself further promoted the appearance of having vast, inexhaustible wealth by spreading rumors that gold grew like a plant in his kingdom. [83] He is criticized for being unfaithful to tradition, and some of the jeliw regard Musa as having wasted Mali's wealth. As soon as Sassouma's son Dankaran Touman took the throne, he and his mother forced the increasingly popular Sundjata into exile along with his mother and two sisters. The voyage is often incorrectly attributed to a Mansa Abu Bakr II, but no such mansa ever reigned. Mansa Musa began extending the shores of the empire alongside amassing great wealth and riches. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday. The second account is that of the traveller Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali in 1352. This was due to the tax on trade in and out of the empire, along with all the gold Mansa Musa had. When Mansa Musa was giving gold away, he was following 2 . [91] Historians such as Hadrien Collet have argued that Musa's wealth is impossible to accurately calculate. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. 1214 - c. 1255) and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita). [52][55], Musa's generosity continued as he traveled onwards to Mecca, and he gave gifts to fellow pilgrims and the people of Medina and Mecca. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. Please check the original source(s) for copyright information. Musa stayed in the Qarafa district of Cairo, and befriended its governor, Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned much about Mali from him. In this lesson, students read one recent blog post about Musa I of Mali's wealth, followed by two historical documents from the fourteenth-century, to answer the question: Was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? Mansa Musa Keita's crowning achievement was his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, which started in 1324 and concluded with his return in 1326. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFKi-ZerboNiane (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFLevztionHopkins2000 (. Traveling from his capital of Niani on the upper Niger River to Walata (Oualta, Mauritania) and on to Tuat (now in Algeria) before making his way to Cairo, Mansa Ms was accompanied by an impressive caravan consisting of 60,000 men including a personal retinue of 12,000 enslaved persons, all clad in brocade and Persian silk. Ag-Amalwal. The people of the south needed salt for their diet, but it was extremely rare. CREDITS:
Chart/Narration: Matt Baker Research/Artwork: From Nothing Team
Editing: Jack Rackam
Intro animation: Syawish Rehman
Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. [99] The gold Musa brought on his pilgrimage probably represented years of accumulated tribute that Musa would have spent much of his early reign gathering. [15] He is also called Hidji Mansa Musa in oral tradition in reference to his hajj. Mansa Musa was an important ruler of the golden age of the Malink kingdom, based on the upper Niger River in Mali, West Africa. Mansa Musa was the great-great-grandson of Sunjata, who was the founder of the empire of Mali. Mansa Ms, whose empire was one of the largest in the world at that time, is reported to have observed that it would take a year to travel from one end of his empire to the other. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali. Captivation History summarizes Mansa Musa's story from his ancestors to his descendants as they reigned over the Mali Empire beginning in the 1300s. During Musa's 25-year-rule the Mali Empire more than tripled in size and had significant influence in several modern day countries including Mauritania, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkino Faso and Chad. It is unknown from whom he descended; however, another emperor, Mansa Maghan Keita III, is sometimes cited as Mansa Mahmud Keita I. [70] These men had to be of the horon (freemen) caste and appear with their own arms. Malink, also known as Mande, Mali, or Melle, was founded around 1200 CE, and under Mansa Musa's reign . Every year merchants entered Mali via Oualata with camel loads of salt to sell in Niani. [86] After Sakura's death, power returned to the line of Sunjata, with Wali's son Qu taking the throne. By 1350, the empire covered approximately 478,819 square miles (1,240,140km2). With trade being disrupted by wars, there was no way for the economy to continue to prosper. The ancient kingdom of Mali spread across parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. The army of the Mali Empire used of a wide variety of weapons depending largely on where the troops originated. The area was famous as a hunting ground for the large amount of game that it sheltered, as well as its dense vegetation. Mali's Timbuktu was known for its schools and libraries. The Black emperors great civility notwithstanding, the meeting between the two rulers might have ended in a serious diplomatic incident, for so absorbed was Mansa Ms in his religious observances that he was only with difficulty persuaded to pay a formal visit to the sultan. [114] However, the Songhai do not maintain their hold on the Malian capital. Abu Bakr was the first and only mansa to inherit through the female line, which has been argued to be either a break from or a return to tradition. Intro animation: Syawish Rehman. [78] There was evidently a power struggle of some kind involving the gbara or great council and donson ton or hunter guilds. [17] Whether Mali originated as the name of a town or region, the name was subsequently applied to the entire empire ruled from Mali. [59], On his return journey, Musa met the Andalusian poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, whose eloquence and knowledge of jurisprudence impressed him, and whom he convinced to travel with him to Mali. Musa I ( Arabic: , romanized : Mans Ms, N'Ko: ; r. c. 1312 - c. 1337 [a]) was the ninth [4] mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. [86] As Fajigi, Musa is sometimes conflated with a figure in oral tradition named Fakoli, who is best known as Sunjata's top general. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. [40] Seemingly contradictory reports written by Arab visitors, a lack of definitive archaeological evidence, and the diversity of oral traditions all contribute to this uncertainty. This can be interpreted as either "Musa son of Abu Bakr" or "Musa descendant of Abu Bakr." En route, he spent time in Cairo, where his lavish gift-giving is said to have noticeably affected the value of gold in Egypt and garnered the attention of the wider Muslim world. The organization and smooth administration of a purely African empire, the founding of the University of Sankore, the expansion of trade in Timbuktu, the architectural innovations in Gao, Timbuktu, and Niani and, indeed, throughout the whole of Mali and in the subsequent Songhai empire are all testimony to Mansa Mss superior administrative gifts. After Ibn Khaldun's death in 1406, there are no further Arab primary sources except for Leo Africanus, who wrote over a century later. . Musa conquered more than 20 major cities in his lifetime. A legend claims that Sunjata transformed into a hippopotamus. [72], According to Niane's version of the epic, during the rise of Kaniaga, Sundiata of the Keita clan was born in the early 13th century. Another testimony from Ibn Khaldun describes the grand pilgrimage of Mansa Musa consisting of 12,000 slaves: "He made a pilgrimage in 724/1324 []. From at least the beginning of the 11th century, Mandinka kings known as faamas ruled Manden from Ka-ba in the name of the Ghanas.[68]. [3] During the 11th and 12th centuries, an empire began to develop following the decline of the Ghana Empire, or Wagadu, to the north. [67] The Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. Ms I is widely considered the wealthiest man in history. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. By the beginning of the 14th century, Mali was the source of almost half the Old World's gold exported from mines in Bambuk, Boure and Galam. Konkodougou Kamissa Keita, named for the province he once governed,[70] was crowned as Mansa Mari Djata Keita II in 1360. During the peak of the kingdom, Mali was extremely wealthy. The Gbara or Great Assembly would serve as the Mandinka deliberative body until the collapse of the empire in 1645. Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. The current King, Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz and has continued to maintain the . Web. Sundjata is credited with at least the initial organisation of the Manding military. Ibn Battuta comments on festival demonstrations of swordplay before the mansa by his retainers including the royal interpreter. [58] This area was composed of mountains, savannah and forest providing ideal protection and resources for the population of hunters. He ruled the nation for nearly 25 years until his death in 1337 and is . The Twelve Doors of Mali were a coalition of conquered or allied territories, mostly within Manden, with sworn allegiance to Sundiata and his descendants. [92] He was one of the first truly devout Muslims to lead the Mali Empire. Nelson, 1971. The last son of Maghan Keita I, Tenin Maghan Keita (also known as Kita Tenin Maghan Keita for the province he once governed) was crowned Mansa Maghan Keita II in 1387. Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith TED-Ed 7.1M views 7 years ago The history of Nigeria explained in 6 minutes (3,000 Years of Nigerian history) Epimetheus. Provinces picked their own governors via their own custom (election, inheritance, etc.). [108] Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian explorer, recorded that the Mali Empire was the most powerful entity on the coast in 1454. [57], Modern oral traditions also related that the Mandinka kingdoms of Mali or Manden had already existed several centuries before Sundiata's unification as a small state just to the south of the Sonink empire of Wagadou, better known as the Ghana Empire. [71] However, Ibn Khaldun also reports that Musa sent an envoy to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali for his conquest of Tlemcen, which took place in May 1337, but by the time Abu al-Hasan sent an envoy in response, Musa had died and Suleyman was on the throne, suggesting Musa died in 1337. [69] The university became a center of learning and culture, drawing Muslim scholars from around Africa and the Middle East to Timbuktu. It then seized Timbuktu from the Tuareg in 1468 under Sunni Ali Ber. Mansa Musa also known as Musa I of Mali and was the ninth Islamic ancient Emperor of West Africa in a kingdom known as the Mali Empire. A very large number of families that make up the Mandinka community were born in Manding. It spanned the modern-day countries of Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and northern Ghana. Ibn Khaldun claims Musa reigned for 25 years, so his accession is dated to 25 years before his death. The empire he founded became one of the richest in the world, and his descendants included one of the richest individuals to ever live, Mansa Musa. [5] In c. 1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. His descendants migrated to the land of Mali and established the Mandinka clan of Keita. [40] In fact, there is a conspicuous absence of archaeological samples of any kind from Niani dated to the late 13th through early 15th centuries, suggesting that Niani may have been uninhabited during the heyday of the Mali Empire. During most of his journey, Ibn Battuta travelled with a retinue that included servants, most of whom carried goods for trade. By 1180 it had even subjugated Wagadou forcing the Sonink to pay tribute. [110] Meanwhile, Songhai seized the salt mines of Taghazza in 1493. ", "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen Age", "Towards a New Study of the So-Called Trkh al-fattsh", World History Encyclopedia Mansa Musa I, History Channel: Mansa Moussa: Pilgrimage of Gold, Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mansa_Musa&oldid=1142573327, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Mansa Musa was portrayed in two games in the, Mansa Musa was portrayed in the episode ", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 05:05. [93] Musa may have brought as much as 18 tons of gold on his hajj,[94] equal in value to over US$957million in 2022. Mansa Musa, also known as Musa Keita I of Mali, was the tenth Sultan of the Mali Empire. It was during Suleyman's 19-year reign that Ibn Battuta visited Mali. Le Plerinage La Mecque de Mansa Musa (724725/13241325) d'aprs des Nouvelles Sources", "The Big Secret of Celebrity Wealth (Is That No One Knows Anything)", The International Journal of African Historical Studies, "West African empires. The dates of Musa's reign are uncertain. Ibn Battuta mentions that the value of salt increased fourfold when transported between Oualata and the Malian capital. A Golden Age: King Mansa Musa's Reign. [84][85] However, some aspects of Musa appear to have been incorporated into a figure in Mand oral tradition known as Fajigi, which translates as "father of hope". His skillful administration left his empire well-off at the time of his death, but eventually, the empire fell apart. He did however, maintain contacts with Morocco, sending a giraffe to King Abu Hassan. Different oral traditions conflict with each other, as well as Ibn Khaldun, about the transfer of power following Sunjata's death. A dknsi performed the same function except with slave troops called sofa ("guardian of the horse") and under the command of a farimba ("great brave man"). [136] While it was as good as gold in the north, it was even better in the south. He ruled oppressively and nearly bankrupted Mali with his lavish spending. Songhai forces under the command of Askia Muhammad I defeated the Mali general Fati Quali Keita in 1502 and seized the province of Diafunu. [83] This term was used interchangeably with dinar, though it is unclear if coined currency was used in the empire. In 14331434, the Mali Empire lost control of Timbuktu to the Tuareg, led by Akil The Malian and Moroccan armies fought at Jenne on 26 April, the last day of Ramadan, and the Moroccans were victorious thanks to their firearms and Bukar's support, but Mahmud was able to escape. [93] Gold mines in Boure, which is located in present-day Guinea, were discovered sometime near the end of the 12th century. Alternate titles: Kankan Ms, Mansa Musa, Mousa, Musa. The third great account is that of Ibn Khaldun, who wrote in the early 15th century. Mansa Musa is potentially the richest person to ever live; as ruler of Mali from 1312 to 1337, he came into power after his brother, King Abu Bakr the Second, vanished on an oceanic voyage. [102], The Songhai settlement effectively shook off Mali's authority in 1375. One of the five pillars of Islam states that Muslims should embark on a pilgrimage known as Hajj, to the holy city of Mecca.. [43] In 1324, while in Cairo, Musa said that he had conquered 24 cities and their surrounding districts.[44]. He is also called Hidji Mansa . However, territories that were crucial to trade or subject to revolt would receive a farba. [81] He was replaced by Abu Bakr, a son of Sunjata's daughter. [131] Mansa Musa placed a heavy tax on all objects that went through Timbuktu. [75] It is possible that it was actually Musa's son Maghan who congratulated Abu al-Hasan, or Maghan who received Abu al-Hasan's envoy after Musa's death. [57][58] Having run out of money, Musa and his entourage were forced to borrow money and re-sell much of what they had purchased while in Cairo before the hajj, and Musa went into debt to several merchants, such as Siraj al-Din. In 1481, Fula raids against Mali's Tekrur provinces began. [71] The tiny kingdom of Niani was one of several in the Kri area of Manden. In Ibn Khaldun's account, Sundjata is recorded as Mari Djata with "Mari" meaning "Amir" or "Prince". Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. "[42], Early European writers such as Maurice Delafosse believed that Niani, a city on what is now the border between Guinea and Mali, was the capital for most of the empire's history, and this notion has taken hold in the popular imagination. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. He sought closer ties with the rest of the Muslim world, particularly the Mamluk and Marinid Sultanates. It had a well-organised army with an elite corps of horsemen and many foot soldiers in each battalion. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. [50] Such impermanent capitals are a historically widespread phenomenon, having occurred in other parts of Africa such as Ethiopia, as well as outside Africa, such as in the Holy Roman Empire.[51]. Mansa Musa was immensely wealthy (whether he can be regarded as personally wealthy or wealthy because he controlled the gold mines of Mali is, of course, a . The only major setback to his reign was the loss of Mali's Dyolof province in Senegal. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. His name was Mansa Musa, and he was a devout Muslim. Many houses were built by hand and during the hot weather some houses would melt so they had to be very secure, The dating of the original Great Mosque's construction is obscure (the current structure, built under French Colonial Rule, dates from 1907). Sakura was able to stabilize the political situation in Mali. Mansa Musa ruled the Malian empire from 1312-1337 CE. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". However, many believe Mansa Musa's wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires. [42] Among these preparations would likely have been raids to capture and enslave people from neighboring lands, as Musa's entourage would include many thousands of enslaved people; the historian Michael Gomez estimates that Mali may have captured over 6,000 people per year for this purpose. Musa embarked on a large building program, raising mosques and madrasas in Timbuktu and Gao. Three bowmen supporting one spearman was the ratio in Kaabu and the Gambia by the mid-16th century. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Still, when Ibn Battuta arrived at Mali in July 1352, he found a thriving civilisation on par with virtually anything in the Muslim or Christian world. "LEAD: International: The History of Guinea-Bissau", "Four People Who Single-handedly Caused Economic Crises", "Lessons from Timbuktu: What Mali's Manuscripts Teach About Peace | World Policy Institute", "Mossi (12501575 AD) DBA 2.0 Variant Army List", "The history of Africa Peul and Toucouleur", "Africa and Slavery 15001800 by Sanderson Beck", "How the Mali Empire in the 12th century revolved levels of governance", Trade, Transport, Temples, and Tribute: The Economics of Power, "Gold, Islam and Camels: The Transformative Effects of Trade and Ideology", "Power and permanence in precolonial Africa: a case study from the central Sahel", "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen Age", "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia", "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires", Metropolitan Museum Empires of the Western Sudan: Mali Empire, Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 13251354, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mali_Empire&oldid=1142808910, Identification disputed; possibly no fixed capital, Yantaar or Kel Antasar: Located in the vicinity of the, Tn Ghars or Yantar'ras: Correspond to the modern, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 13:53. and transl. When he did finally bow, he said he was doing so for God alone. [60] In return for their submission, they became "farbas", a combination of the Mandinka words "farin" and "ba" (great farin). In Niani, Musa built the Hall of Audience, a building communicating by an interior door to the royal palace. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. published on 17 October 2020. [77] Alternatively, it is possible that the four-year reign Ibn Khaldun credits Maghan with actually referred to his ruling Mali while Musa was away on the hajj, and he only reigned briefly in his own right. Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: , romanized:Ms), the Arabic form of Moses. [89] This claim is often sourced to an article in CelebrityNetWorth,[89] which claims that Musa's wealth was the equivalent of US$400 billion. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. His religious devotion contributed to the spread of Islam across West Africa. What is evident is that there is no steady lineage governing the empire. Musa's name Kanku Musa means "Musa son of Kanku", but the genealogy may not be literal. [32] When he did not return, Musa was crowned as mansa himself, marking a transfer of the line of succession from the descendants of Sunjata to the descendants of his brother Abu Bakr. The date of Mahmud's death and identity of his immediate successor are not recorded, and there is a gap of 65 years before another mansa's identity is recorded. World History Encyclopedia, 17 Oct 2020. [93], In 1477, the Yatenga emperor Nassr made yet another Mossi raid into Macina, this time conquering it and the old province of BaGhana (Wagadou).[109]. To his parents' dread, the prince did not have a promising start. Its first meeting, at the famous Kouroukan Fouga (Division of the World), had 29 clan delegates presided over by a belen-tigui (master of ceremony). [107] The Gambia was still firmly in Mali's control, and these raiding expeditions met with disastrous fates before Portugal's Diogo Gomes began formal relations with Mali via its remaining Wolof subjects. During his reign, the Mossi emperor Bonga of Yatenga raided into Mali and plundered Macina. He was the first African ruler to be widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. In 1645, the Bamana attacked Manden, seizing both banks of the Niger right up to Niani. The empire began as a small Mandinka kingdom at the upper reaches of the Niger River, centered around the Manding region. [46] Kangaba became the last refuge of the Keita royal family after the collapse of the Mali Empire, and so has for centuries been associated with Sundiata in the cultural imagination of Mande peoples. Before Dankaran Touman and his mother could enjoy their unimpeded power, King Soumaoro set his sights on Niani forcing Dankaran to flee to Kissidougou.[60]. In approximately 1140 the Sosso kingdom of Kaniaga, a former vassal of Wagadou, began conquering the lands of its old rulers. Mama Maghan, mansa of Kangaba, campaigned against the Bamana in 1667 and laid siege to SegouKoro for a reported three years. The tarikh states that a Sultan Kunburu became a Muslim and had his palace pulled down and the site turned into a mosque; he then built another palace for himself near the mosque on the east side. [119], It would be the Mandinka themselves that would cause the final destruction of the empire. The Sahelian and Saharan towns of the Mali Empire were organised as both staging posts in the long-distance caravan trade and trading centres for the various West African products. The mansa also made a successful hajj, kept up correspondence with Morocco and Egypt and built an earthen platform at Kangaba called the Camanbolon where he held court with provincial governors and deposited the holy books he brought back from Hedjaz. Answer (1 of 3): The same thing that happened to anybody else's wealth in history: it was spent, looted, donated, or otherwise distributed. Kankan Musa, better known as Mansa Musa probably took power in approximately 1312, although an earlier date is possible. [39] Her jamu (clan name) Konte is shared with both Sunjata's mother Sogolon Konte and his arch-enemy Sumanguru Konte. Original video by UsefulCharts. [60] The anglicised version of this name, Sunjata, is also popular. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The latter told Ibn Khaldun about devastating struggle over Gao between Mali imperial forces against Berber Tuareg forces from Takedda.