Tales of the Kingdom of Mali Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kingdom of Ghana

The Kingdom of Ghana ruled from approximately 400-1200 AD in West Africa. With a great location for farming, and natural resources such as iron ore and gold, the success of the kingdom was virtually guaranteed. Iron weapons enabled the Kingdom of Ghana to conquer nearby states, gold deposits gave them the wealth that would attract traders into the empire, and the introduction of the camel to the area made caravan trade very profitable. Eventually the kingdom was attached by the Almoravids from Morocco, and much of their territory was absorbed by the Kingdom of Mali, which had started as the state of Kangaba where the Malinke or Mandinka people lived.

While information about the early history of the area is sketchy, it does appear that the Mandinka revolted against the rule of the Ghana Empire in approximately 1230.

Answer: The place where the king lives.

Originally the name "Mali" was taken from a Mandinka name for hippopotamus. Taken as a symbol of power, it came to mean "the place where the king lives". A famous visitor to the area in 1352, Ibn Battuta, wrote that the capital of the empire was itself called Mali.

A story was told that the legendary founder of the Empire turned himself into a hippopotamus when he died in the Sankarani River, drowning while attempting to cross. In the area where it is believed that happened, many villages even today have the name "Old Mali", so the name of the empire could have derived from the name of a city; today there is also a settlement called Malikoma, or "New Mali.

Another source states that the name may have derived from a pronunciation of the name of the Mande people, who are a branch of the Mandinka.

Answer: Mansa

"Mansa" is a Mandinka word that means "emperor" or "sultan". Connected mostly to the first dynasty that ruled the Mali Empire, the title was passed down from the rulers of that dynasty for approximately two hundred years. The mansa had the power to deal out justice, control trade - especially the gold trade that was so profitable, and, of course, collect taxes.

The mansa ruled the empire which was divided into provinces led by a governor, or farba, at first. When the king was sure of the loyalty of the local people, they were allowed to choose their own governor, called a "dyamani-tigui". If the province was likely to revolt or very important on the trade route, however, the farba maintained control.

Answer: Niani

There is some disagreement among historians concerning the capital of the Mali Empire. While most believe it was the birthplace of the first empire, Niani, some believe Kangaba may have served as one of the capitals. In the 14th century 100,000 people lived in Niani, and it was the center of two main trade routes out of the city, the Mande route, which went north of the city and the Sarakolle route, that went south.

When the Mali Empire declined in power, Niani once again became a small village.

Although there was a strong central government for the empire, which was based in Niani, the farther away one traveled, the more decentralized the government became; the king, nevertheless, was able to maintain control over a very large area by allowing his people some degree of self-rule.

Answer: Sundiata Keita

Although there are many stories and legends about Sundiata Keita, he was a real person; somel respected historians who traveled to the Mali Empire after his death give proof of his existence. Sundiata Keita was the second son of the king. He was ridiculed as a cripple and unable to walk until he was seven years old; his father who had protected him, died when he was three years old.

His older brother, Touman, became king and treated Sundiata Keita cruelly; in addition Sundiata was captured for a time by enemies, the Soso people. Escaping into exile, Sundiata worked hard to become a warrior and hunter.

He led his people into war against the Soso, and legend says, he killed their leader with a poison arrow. After that he established the Kingdom of Mali and ruled for twenty years.

His story is said to have inspired "The Lion King".

Answer: Hajj

While the Mali kings had been converted to Islam, their people had not been forced to convert. Many of the king's subjects worshiped a religion that was a blend of Islam and local beliefs. Mansa Musa, the grandnephew (some sources say grandson) of Sundiata Keita, went to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 1324 for the annual hajj, or pilgrimage to the Kaaba.

He is said to have been the first Mali king to make the trip, and his hajj was the topic of conversation for many years to come, as he traveled the 4,000 miles with an entourage of 60,000 people! Of course, this type of endeavor would take many years of prior planning.

Answer: It caused gold prices to go down.

Perhaps the wealthiest person in history, Mansa Musa took 80-100 camels on his hajj to Mecca; each camel carried 300 pounds of gold! On his way, he gave out gold to the poor and the rulers of the countries he had crossed. Historians say that he gave out so much gold in Cairo, Mecca, and Medina, that it drove the price of gold down, and caused terrible inflation. Even though he attempted to rectify the situation by borrowing gold from the Cairo moneylenders at a high interest rate on his return to his kingdom, it took the city's gold market ten years to recover. One of the most important consequences of Mansa Musa's hajj was the fact that he returned to his kingdom with several Arab scholars, who brought new learning and ideas to Mali.

Answer: Great Mosque of Djenné

The Sudano-Sahelian style of architecture was used to create many buildings during the time of Mansa Musa. Although there is an oral tradition that suggests that the Great Mosque of Djenné was built sometime in the 1200s-1300s, its origin is unclear, and it could have been built by Arab architects who returned with the great emperor after his hajj. Considered to be a important center of Islam religion and learning, thousands of students are believed to have studied there during the Middle Ages. Built with adobe bricks and plaster, and large wooden support beams, the current structure on the site dates back to 1906, when the original mosque was rebuilt.

Answer: Mongol

The Kingdom of Mali stretched over 1800 miles, and included the modern countries of Mali, Niger, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, and The Gambia. A confederation of three states and twelve fortified provinces, the Empire contained over 400 cities and an estimated population of 20 million people. An army of 100,000 protected the empire.

The Mongol Empire in China was the only contemporary empire that was larger in size, and the largest contiguous land empire in history.

Answer: Tuareg

With the Kingdom of Mali already in a period of decline, the Tuareg launched an invasion in 1433 and captured the important cities of Timbuktu, Arawan and Walata. This led to a devastating loss of access to important trade routes that would have allowed for the acquisition of horses for the Mali cavalry to attempt a reconquest of major areas or to refortify parts of the empire that still remained.

The nomadic Tuareg have long been associated with the salt trade in the Mali Empire and are still involved in it today. By 1560 what was left of the the Kingdom of Mali became part of the Songhai Empire.