Which of the following best describes the most likely purpose of telling these details about Sundiata?

Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the ruler of the kingdom of Mali from 1312 C.E. to 1337 C.E. During his reign, Mali was one of the richest kingdoms of Africa, and Mansa Musa was among the richest individuals in the world. The ancient kingdom of Mali spread across parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. Mansa Musa developed cities like Timbuktu and Gao into important cultural centers. He also brought architects from the Middle East and across Africa to design new buildings for his cities. Mansa Musa turned the kingdom of Mali into a sophisticated center of learning in the Islamic world.

Mansa Musa came to power in 1312 C.E., after the previous king, Abu Bakr II, disappeared at sea. Mansa Abu Bakr II had departed on a large fleet of ships to explore the Atlantic Ocean, and never returned. Mansa Musa inherited a kingdom that was already wealthy, but his work in expanding trade made Mali the wealthiest kingdom in Africa. His riches came from mining significant salt and gold deposits in the Mali kingdom. Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.

When Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca in 1324 C.E., his journey through Egypt caused quite a stir. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. Arab writers from the time said that he travelled with an entourage of tens of thousands of people and dozens of camels, each carrying 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of gold. While in Cairo, Mansa Musa met with the Sultan of Egypt, and his caravan spent and gave away so much gold that the overall value of gold decreased in Egypt for the next 12 years. Stories of his fabulous wealth even reached Europe. The Catalan Atlas, created in 1375 C.E. by Spanish cartographers, shows West Africa dominated by a depiction of Mansa Musa sitting on a throne, holding a nugget of gold in one hand and a golden staff in the other. After the publication of this atlas, Mansa Musa became cemented in the global imagination as a figure of stupendous wealth.

After his return from Mecca, Mansa Musa began to revitalize cities in his kingdom. He built mosques and large public buildings in cities like Gao and, most famously, Timbuktu. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musa’s developments. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. The kingdom of Mali reached its greatest extent around the same time, a bustling, wealthy kingdom thanks to Mansa Musa’s expansion and administration.

Mansa Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. His skillful administration left his empire well-off at the time of his death, but eventually, the empire fell apart. Well after his death, Mansa Musa remained engrained in the imagination of the world as a symbol of fabulous wealth. However, his riches are only one part of his legacy, and he is also remembered for his Islamic faith, promotion of scholarship, and patronage of culture in Mali.

journal article

Searching for History in the Sunjata Epic: The Case of Fakoli

History in Africa

Vol. 19 (1992)

, pp. 147-200 (54 pages)

Published By: Cambridge University Press

https://doi.org/10.2307/3171998

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3171998

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Journal Information

History in Africa: A Journal of Method focuses on historiographical and methodological concerns. The journal publishes textual analysis and criticism, historiographical and bibliographical essays, archival reports, and articles on the role of theory and non-historical data in historical investigation. History in Africa is published annually and is edited by David Henige of the University of Wisconsin.

Publisher Information

Cambridge University Press (www.cambridge.org) is the publishing division of the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s leading research institutions and winner of 81 Nobel Prizes. Cambridge University Press is committed by its charter to disseminate knowledge as widely as possible across the globe. It publishes over 2,500 books a year for distribution in more than 200 countries. Cambridge Journals publishes over 250 peer-reviewed academic journals across a wide range of subject areas, in print and online. Many of these journals are the leading academic publications in their fields and together they form one of the most valuable and comprehensive bodies of research available today. For more information, visit http://journals.cambridge.org.

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Who was Sundiata and why was he important quizlet?

Sundiata was the son of the previous Mali King. Mali was taken over by a powerful king who treated people badly. When Sundiata became an adult, he put together an army and gained his country's independence. Then, he set about conquering other nearby kingdoms, including Ghana.

What would Sundiata and Mansa Musa have in common?

What would Sundiata and Mansa Musa have in common? his conversion to Islam and his pilgrimage to Mecca. largest empire in west Africa, lead by Sonni Ali, Timbuktu was its capital, center of commerce and learning.

Which of the following was the most direct outcome of the conflict between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire referred to in the passage?

Which of the following was the most direct outcome of the conflict between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire referred to in the passage? The Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Which of the following most strongly contributed to the shift of power from nomadic empires to settled states that Darwin identifies in the second paragraph?

Which of the following most strongly contributed to the shift of power from nomadic empires to settled states that Darwin identifies in the second paragraph? "[D]espite his ferocity, his military genius and his shrewd adaptation of tribal politics to his imperial purpose, Tamerlane's* system fell apart at his death.