Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dana Quante
INCH 512
Spring 2009
source: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~thematic/umbach/slavetradespring03/mali.html
a n d t h e M e d i e v a l E m p i r e s o f t h e We s t e r n S u d a n
from the Mideast and from other parts of
Where is Timbuktu? Why do scholars call the Africa.
Timbuktu is a city located in the modern region “Western Sudan?” The savannah is marked by scattered
country of Mali, in West Africa. trees and a wet and dry season. It is
The earliest writings by Arab traders
Geographically, it is situated in the savannah perfectly suited for herding animals and
called this area “Bilad al-Sudan,” which
of sub-Saharan Africa - an area of grasslands raising grain crops. Agrarian life creates
means “land of the black people.” Modern
between the Niger River to the south and the surplus, which supports craftspeople. Iron
scholars refer to Medieval West Africa as
Sahara Desert to the north. forging became prominent. Horses were
“Western Sudan,” which is completely
purchased through trade with the Tuaregs.
Why is it called “Timbuktu?” different from the modern country of Sudan in
The combined technology of iron and horses
One legend purports that the Tuareg the eastern part of Africa.
enabled local control of the gold/salt/slave
people, Berber nomads f who traversed the trade.
Sahara, went to the area to graze their herds How has geography shaped Recent archaeological evidence shows
in the dry season. Over time, as they
returned north for the season, they would
the region politically? that urban centers appeared west of Timbuktu
somewhere between 400-900 C.E, especially
leave their belongings in the care of a local Timbuktu was a place where caravans in a place called Koumbi Saleh, which
woman, Buktu, who owned a well used by the from North Africa (offering Mediterranean became the capital city of Western Sudan’s
Tuareg. The place became known as goods) met the salt traders from the first major empire: the Ghana Empire.
“Tin’Buktu,” which, in the language of the northwest, the gold traders from the forests
Tuareg, means “the well of Buktu.” south of the Niger River, and the slave traders
How do we know ‣ Archaeology: new discoveries are being made all the time
‣ Oral Tradition: the way history is transmitted by West African cultures
about the Medieval ‣ Linguistics: experts analyze linguistic similarities and anomalies to understand
Empires of the the historic relationships between cultures and groups
‣ Written Accounts: extensive writings of first and second hand observations by
Western Sudan? Arab traders and Muslim scholars
Empires GHANA MALI SONGHAY
What is an empire?
An empire is a number of
individual kingdoms and
4th - 12th 13th - 15th 15th - 16th
peoples that are all controlled
by one ruler. centuries C.E. centuries C.E. centuries C.E.
Askiya
Mansa Musa Muhammad
mansa who increased the area started the Askiya dynasty and
of the Mali Empire and increased size and stability of
attained the highest wealth Songhay Empire
G H AN A E MPIR E M A L I E MP I R E S O N G HA Y EM PI R E
300-500 C.E. 700-1000 1056 1100 1230-1255 1312-1337 1469 1493-1529 1591
Rise of Ghana Almoravid Timbuktu Sundiata Mansa Sunni Askiya Moroccan
Ghana Empire Movement founded Keita Musa Ali Ber Muhammad Invasion
trade becomes captures
dominant Timbuktu
power
TIMELINE
Traditional Religion
of Sub-Saharan West Africa
Sacred Groves
The place where spiritual leaders
would interface with the spirit
Ghana world was a sacred grove of trees
Empire located somewhere outside the
village or city.
SALT SLABS
Bambuk Camels
Bure
The Romans first brought camels to
the Sahara in the first century C.E.
Without camels, trade across the
Sahara would have been
impossible. Salt caravans used
thousands of camels that traveled
for months across the desert.
He then traveled to
Constantinople by sea, where Songhay Empire
he was captured by slavers
and given as a “gift” to Pope 15th - 16th centuries C.E.
Leo X. Realizing this man was The extensiveness of the Mali Empire and a string of ineffectual rulers was making
a highly educated scholar, the Niani and Timbuktu weaker and harder to govern. The city of Gao to the east was
getting stronger. Its military leader, Sunni Ali Ber, conquered Timbuktu in 1469, and
Pope freed him and paid him
later the salt mines of Taghaza. Now the gold and salt trade was in Songhay control.
to learn Italian so that he could When Sunni Ali Ber attacked Timbuktu, he sacked the city and ousted the Muslim
write about his travels to leaders, which interrupted trade. A military general, Askiya Muhammad, wrested
Western Sudan. control of the empire from Ali Ber’s son. Askiya Muhammad was a devout Muslim
who reinstated the Muslim leaders and trade once again flourished. He was a
The History and Description of political and spiritual leader, who inaugurated the Askiya dynasty during the Songhay
reign. He not only secured control of the gold and salt trade, but expanded the
Africa and the Notable Things
empire by going to war with non-Muslim populations in surrounding areas, converting
Contained Therein was the survivors. He was a skilled empire manager. Muhammad created a centralized
published in 1526, and in government that used provincial governors to manage the large area he controlled.
English in 1600. He also employed the most intelligent men of the region to advise him.
The Songhay Empire was the largest of the three Western Sudan empires, and the
most wealthy. Its centralized government ensured stability. The fall of the Songhay
Empire lay not so much in poor government, although there were no strong leaders
like Muhammad in the late 16th century. The fall lies in technology. The Moroccan
pasha wanted control of the gold and salt trade. He sent an army across the Sahara
in 1591 to take Timbuktu and the Songhay lands. His army had muskets and cannons.
The Songhay had spears. The Moroccan army easily invaded Western Sudan, and
the great medieval empires became history.
Sankore University
Askia Muhammad funded many universities
in his empire, including Sankore University in
Timbuktu, which was connected to the Sankore
Mosque. Students from all over Africa came to
study astronomy, mathematics, ethnography,
medicine, logic, music, and literature. Scholars
wrote books, copied books, and collected books
in huge private libraries. The book trade was as
lucrative as the gold and salt trade.
Lesson economics politics culture
How is value determined? Why do empires rise and fall? Universities and Libraries: An
Ideas
Students set up their own Students compare and African Tradition
Timbuktu marketplace in the contrast Western Sudan Students research the rich
classroom to trade gold, salt, empires to other Medieval history of scholarly tradition in
empires in Europe and Asia by
leather, and silk. They graph Western Sudan and email
charting political and
relative values determined modern conservators in
economic patterns (see
through their extemporaneous Timbuktu for current
below).
bartering. In small groups they information and photos for a
analyze why they placed class online library.
more value on some things.
Ananse and Masoff, J. (2007). Mali, land of gold and glory. Waccabuc, NY: Five Ponds
the Lizard Press.
by Pat Cummings
(2002) McKissack, P. & F. (1994). The royal kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and
Henry Holt & Co.
Songhay, life in medieval Africa. New York: Henry Holt.
The Hunterman
Magazines
and the Carpentiere, E.C. [Ed.] (2008, February). Islam in Africa. Faces: People,
Crocodile Places, and Cultures. Carus Publishing Company.
by Bab Wague
Diakite (1997) Sloneker, L.L. [Ed.] (1997, February). Mali. Faces: The Magazine About
Scholastic, Inc. People. Cobblestone Publishing Company.
Publication
The Singing
Boye, A.J., Abid, A., Diakite, S., Dicko, M.G., Hunwick, J.O., Iam, M.D.,
Man
O’Fahey, R.S., et al. (2003). The Timbuktu manuscripts project. Retrieved
by Angela Shelf
April 17, 2009 from http://www.sum.uio.no/timbuktu
Medearis (1994)
Holiday House
Video
Davidson, B. [Writer]. (1984). Caravans of gold. Program 3 of Africa: the
story of a continent [Documentary]. Great Britain: Channel Four.
Traveling
Man, The Gates, H.L. [Writer], Godwin, N. & Appio, H. [Directors]. (2000). Wonders
Journey of of the African world [Documentary]. Alexandria, VA: Public
Ibn Broadcasting Service.
Battuta,
1325-1354 Sissako, A. [Director]. (2006). Bamako [Motion Picture]. Mali: Archipel 33
by James Rumford (2001)
Houghton Mifflin
Websites - General Information
BBC: Country Profile
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1021454.stm
Sundiata, Lion
King of Mali
CIA: Mali (Country Profile)
by David
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ml.html
Wisniewski
(1992)
Clarion Books History Channel: About Timbuktu
http://www.history.com/classroom/unesco/timbuktu.html
Chapter Book Resources (continued)
Mali: Ancient Crossroads of Africa
http://mali.pwnet.org/index.htm
The Cow-Tail
Switch and
Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Empires of the Western Sudan
Other West http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wsem/hd_wsem.htm
African
Stories NPR: On the Edge, Timbuktu
by Harold http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/2003/may/mali/
Courlander and
George
Herzog (1947)
MacMillian Websites - Libraries and Manuscript Conservation
New York Times: Project Digitizes Work from the Golden Age of Timbuktu
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/science/20timb.html
source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/photogalleries/dogon/photo7.html