The Mali Empire was a vast and prosperous empire located in West Africa, known for its immense gold resources and crucial role in trans-Saharan trade. The empire’s location was strategic, sitting at the crossroads of vital trans-Saharan trade routes. This allowed Mali to control the exchange of gold from the south for salt, textiles, horses, and other goods from North Africa and beyond.
Mansa Musa (reigned from ca. 1312 to 1337 CE) is widely considered one of the wealthiest individuals in history. At his time, Mali controlled goldfields (like Bambuk and Bure), which were the primary source of the world’s gold at the time. Under Mansa Musa, the empire reached its largest territorial extent, encompassing parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger. He expanded Mali’s control over important trading cities like Timbuktu and Gao, and even extended his influence to the salt mines of Taghaza in the Sahara.
A devout Muslim, Mansa Musa fostered a golden age of Islamic scholarship, architecture, and culture. During his famous pilgrimage to Mecca (1324-1325), he traveled with an entourage of tens of thousands of people, spending lavishly along the way. His passage caused the value of gold to plummet in Egypt for years. he invested in the construction of mosques, universities, and libraries. Timbuktu became a renowned intellectual and spiritual center, attracting scholars from across the Islamic world.
