Mali - A
Country of Historical and Current Significance
(click on the map for a larger image)
Mali
is old enough to have rock paintings dating back to
a time when the Sahara desert was covered in lush
forest. Islam arrived in about the seventh century
AD, shortly after the death of the Prophet Mohammed.
The largest
country in West Africa, Mali is bordered by seven
other states: Algeria lies to the north and
northeast, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso to the
southeast and, with the Ivory Coast, to the south.
On the west are Senegal and Mauritania.
The first empire in the region was under Sundyata
Keita whose influence, although at its height during
the 13th to 15th centuries, is still obvious today.
The best years of the first empire were under Mansa
Moussa, from 1312 to 1337. He dominated the gold and
salt trade, and the cities of Djenné and
Timbuktu became important trading centres for
the whole of West Africa.
By the 15th century, the first empire was ending. It
was followed by the Songhay empire, created by Askia
Mohammed on the edge of the Sahara and the Niger
River in northern Mali. At its height the second
empire saw Timbuktu with a population of around
100,000 people, and the university had a student
population of 25,000. This empire ended shortly after a
Moroccan invasion in 1590.
The historic city of Timbuktu is the home of the
first university in the world, and the city is
located
at the precise point where the Niger flows
northward into the southern edge of the desert. The
Niger is one of the principal rivers in Africa,
providing food, water, and drainage for five nations
of West Africa. Timbuktu and its surroundings
currently house
700,000 manuscripts.
These manuscripts of are a living testimony of
the highly advanced and refined civilization in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
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