Video on West African Kingdoms - Focus on Mali

Video Transcript

In the 14th century, beyond the reach of the black death, one culture flourished. In West Africa, a remote kingdom controlled most of the western world’s god. In 1352 Ibn Battuta , the greatest traveler of the age, set off across
the Sahara to see for himself the Empire of Mali.
He crossed the desert with a salt caravan. Salt allowed the people of Mali and their animals to survive the ferocious heat. Salt is dug out of the ground in huge slabs.

Salt is traded here still carried by camel as it was in the 14th century. Mined in the north, the salt moved south to be exchanged for fortunes in gold dust. Merchants came to Mali from all points of the horizon. In a single year, one writer recorded over 12,000 camels on just one of the roads.
Once in Mali, Ibn Battuta travelled on its main highway , the river Niger.
Ibn Battuta
“When we arrived at the arm of the river, I saw 16 beasts with enormous bodies. I said to Abu Baker, what beast are these? And he said, these are horses of the river, Hippopotami.”

The boatmen feared them and came in close contact to the shore so as not to be drowned by them.
In the 14th century, the great mosque of Djenne stood at the heard of Mali’s empire. Here Ibn Battuta found familiar ways of life and routines of prayer. Malian cities like Timbuktu and Djenne were famed throughout the Muslim world. Their mosques, libraries and schools represent gathering places for Islamic intellectuals.

Their texts were adorned with the source of Mali’s wealth, Gold. Gold also paid for Royal magnificence in the court poetry and music, in praise of the ruler.
They are the most humble of men before their king. When he calls on one of them, the man invited takes off his clothes and wears patched clothes. Takes off his turban and puts on a dirty cap. He advances in humility like a beggar . He hits the ground with his elbows. He hits it hard. When the sultan sits in council, drums are beaten, bugles sounded.

In Mali today, people still celebrate the 14th century king Mansa Musa. Everything about him , they say, exuded majesty. His stately gate, his wives, the concubines, and attendance, the way he talked to the people only through a spokesman.
Mali’s traditional story tellers “The Jalis” still sing in praise of their most powerful ruler.
Mali’s wealth paid for an army and military expansion. The strength of the Mansa’s army was cavalry. Mali’s mounted soldiery survive still in terracotta.
Heavy headed aristocrats with protuberant lips and up titled heads, crowned with crested helmets , ride on elaborately bridled horses.
The power of these warriors established the Mansa’s rule over the desert, grass lands and forest of West Africa.
As the empire grew, so did control of precious trade routes. Mali’s merchants followed in the footsteps of the Sultan’s soldiers. Wealth flowed to the market place. In the markets of the south.
Ibn Battuta saw gold in abundance, traded pound for pound for salt. But the Malians kept the source of their gold a closely guarded secret. Outsiders heard only rumors and fables. It grew like carrots. It was brought up by amps in the form of nugget. It was mined by naked men who lived in holes. Probably the real place of origin was the upper reaches of the Niger, as it is today.
The kings of Mali took all the gold nugget and left the gold smiths with the gold dust.
Legends of Mansa Musa’s wealth became so well known in Europe that when the king was depicted int eh most famous map of the age, the Catalan Atlas, he was holding a gold nugget.
But the legends were shown to be true. During Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca, his extravagance inflated the economies of the towns he visited. The passage of his caravan of gold was remembered for years.