1. MANSA MUSA &
THE KINGDOM OF
MALI
Social Studies for 10th
Teacher: Mauricio Torres

2. The Kingdom of Mali
 In the upper Niger river, there was
a nation called the Mandinka.
 They had suffered defeat in a war.
 The king and his family were
slaughtered, except for one of his
sons, who was considered too
weak and sickly to pose a threat.
 By 1235, he had crushed his
enemies, he was in control of the
gold trade routes and founded the
Kingdom of Mali.
 His name was Sundiata

3. Sundiata’s Achievements
 He conquered the
decaying Empire of
Ghana.
 He improved
agriculture and
introduced cotton.
 He took power away
from local leaders, in
order to centralize it.

4. Mali
 Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word.
 Their kings were called Mansas.
 They stretched their dominions to the south.
 Cities like Timbuktu boomed into civilized centers.

5. The Greatest King
 In the year 1312, the greatest ruler of the
kingdom, came to the throne.
 His name was…

6. MANSA MUSA

7. MANSA MUSA
• He expanded Mali’s borders:
• To the north and towards
the Atlantic
• He made sure that peace was
kept within his kingdom.
• He converted to Islam and
adopted the Muslim justice
system.
• But, he promoted
religious tolerance and
did not impose his
religion on his subjects.

8. Mansa Musas’ Travels

9. Mansa Musas’ Travels
 His entourage:
 12000 servants for the King.
 500 for his wife.
 14000 slaves carrying fine silk clothes and the
luggage.
 500 carrying golden staffs
 His fortune spent is estimated to be 100 million
USD if he had done the trip today.
 For the only time in history, one man controlled
the price of gold.

10. The Hajj
 In 1324 he made the
hajj, or pilgrimage to
the Mecca.
 He showed his
devotion towards his
religion.
 On the way he made
a few diplomatic and
economic ties with
other Muslim states.

11. Buildings for life
 Afterwards, he brought back with him many different
scholars, architects and teachers who helped promote
Islamic education.
 He built a university in Timbuktu, which still exists
today!

12. Decline of Mali
 In the
1400s, internal
disputes weakened
Mali.
 Subject nations
broke away, and
little by little, it all
collapsed.
 The power vacuum
was filled by
Songhai

13. Homework: Being a Herald
 You are travelling with Mansa Musa on your
way to Mecca.
 You are his herald, and it is your job to
announce him every time you arrive to a
new city.
 Write a paragraph describing you king to
your hosts in order to announce his coming.
 Remember:
 His kindness.
 His wealth.
 His devotion to his religion.
 His abilities as a leader.
 Etc.
 Be eloquent!

14. Ask Yourself
 Identify: After conquering neighboring
kingdoms, what did Sundiata focus on?
 Infer: Why do you think Mansa Musa traveled
in such an opulent manner?
 Analyze: What kind of leader was Mansa
Musa?

15. Bibliography
 Ellis, E. G., & Esler, A. (2009). World History.
(P. Hall, Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey, US: Pearson Education INC.
 Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World
History (Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.).
(H. McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Company.
 Images taken from Google.