Mali: Introduction
Introduction
Photo Gallery
Key Themes
Regional Histories
- Mali
- Songhay
- Hausaland
- Kanem-Bornu
Self Tests
- Using the tests
- Trade--Test
- Islam--Test
- Mali--Test
- Songhay--Test
- Hausaland--Test
- Kanem--Test
- Kanem-Bornu
Resources
Credits
As one of the earliest of the medieval Sudanic empires, Mali has
captured the attention of historians from the Middle Ages to the
present day. North African and Arabian travellers to Mali wrote
down several valuable descriptions of this kingdom on the Niger,
and even medieval Europeans were distantly aware of a fabled land
of kings and gold, resplendent in wealth and power beyond the
boundaries of the known world. 
And little though the medieval and early modern inhabitants of
Europe might have been aware of it, this very gold was fast becoming
the foundation of their own economy.
For the history of Africa, an understanding of medieval Mali is essential. Though the topic of "state formation" has been the subject of some controversy in African studies, it is undeniable that Mali became one of the huge states of pre-modern Africa, with a complex governmental structure headed by the king and managed by officials, sub-kings, and bureaucrats. Moreover, Mali was one of the first states south of the Sahara to see the new religion of Islam firmly take hold. The message of the Prophet was soon allied to the interest of the rulers of Mali, and a strong relationship between religion and the state quickly developed. These and other themes are considered for the four periods of Malian history listed below.
- Origins and Neighbors (to ca. 1230)
- Formation of an Empire (ca. 1230-1300)
- Kings, Gold, and Islam (ca. 1300-1360)
- Strife and Rebellion (ca. 1360-1600)
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