Westonian Museum: Rise

and Fall of Empires Exhibit

Mali
By:Ridwan Khan
Akash Malik
Manoj Sreedhara

Welcome to
the Rise of Mali

The Rise of the Mali Empire came from the fall of the
Ghana Empire

1235 Sundiata, King of Mali, had his forces defeat

Sumanguru and his forces at the Battle of Kirina
Mali Replaced Ghana as the major power in West Africacapital at Niana in upper Niger

He became the Mali's national hero

Balafon of Sumanguru

Balafon of Sumanguru
This is the balafon, a musical instrument, of Sumanguru
that is said to have magical powers. It is a wooden
percussion instrument. It was found in the ruins of
Sumanguru's Kingdom. Sumanguru was called the
sorcerer king, which is a reason this balafon is said to
have magical powers. After the fall of the Ghana
Empire, Sumanguru, King of the Sosso, seized Koumbi
Saleh capital of Ghana Empire and several other
neighboring people including the Malinka people. He
killed many Malinkas people,but one person he did not
kill was Sundiata, King of Mali.

Painting of Sundiata

Painting of Sundiata
This

is a preserved painting of the first King of

Mali, Sundiata also known as the "Lion
King".This shows Sundiata and his famous
pose with his horse and a spear. Sundiata
was important in leading his forces in
overthrowing Sumanguru and creating the
Mali Empire. Sundiata had led his forces to
the Battle of Kirina. He was considered
Mali's national hero.

Spear from Battle of Kirina

Spear from Battle of Kirina

This is a spear from the Battle of Kirina in 1235-the battle
between Sundiata and Sumanguru forces.
Spears such as these and other weapons were essential to
the defeat This spear has been found in Kirina in the
Koulkura region of Mali and has been preserved in our
exhibit. In 1235 Sundiata, King of Mali, had his forces
defeat Sumanguru and his forces at the Battle of Kirina.
Mali Replaced Ghana as the major power in West Africacapital at Niana in upper Niger. Sundiata took control
of the gold-producing regions and promoted farming.

We are now at the Height of Mali

- In 1307, Mansa Musa came to the throne, and stayed in
power until his death in 1332-1337 (disputed year of death)

- From 1324-25, Mansa Musa took a 3500 mile hajj with

thousands of camels to Mecca with gold amounting at $115
million
- After Mansa Musa's trip, opportunities to trade with more
countries opened up to the Mali Empire

Painting of Mansa
Musa

Painting of Mansa Musa

This painting depicts Mansa Musa (or Musa I) of Mali

holding a gold nugget, painted around 1330, sometime

after his death.

Mansa Musa, in 1324, took the hajj to Mecca with an

estimated $115 million in gold. As a result, the

surrounding area had to inflate prices because of all the
new wealth introduced.

On his way back from Mecca, he claimed Timbuktu as a

part of Mali. The mosque he built, the Djinguereber
Mosque (where this painting was found), still stands
today.

Copper Ring

Copper
Ring
This copper ring was found outside the copper mines of

Takedda. Copper from Takedda was traded for gold

from southern Africa during the 14th century.

During the 14th century Mali controlled the copper

trade across the Sahara, but it was usually in bar form;
this ring probably belonged to a wealthier Malian.
Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveler who visited the
empire, noticed that slaves did nearly all the empire's
labor, from mining to farming
We inferred without them, the empire would not have
had as much power as it did.

Ngo
ni

Ngoni

The ngoni was first noticed by Ibn Battuta in the court

of Mansa Musa. This particular one was found in
Taghaza, a city that trades salt to the Mali Empire.

Instruments such as the ngoni are used mainly by griots

who sing stories about events in African history and
ancestries of people. This was especially important to
Malian monarchs because they established and
emphasized how superior and powerful the empire is.

Mansa Musa's most important advisor is considered to

be his griot, because he knew everything about the
ancestors' and what ancient kings did during their
reigns.

TASBIH

TASBIH
A tasbih is an object in Islam used to praise

Allah by saying "Allah" and counting each bead.

This particular one was found in an unnamed
mosque in Djenne of central Mali, and is made
of white jade dating to early 14th century.
The majority of Malians during the 14th
century converted to Islam because of more
commercial opportunities available to them,
not so much because they believed in Islam
Ibn Battuta stated he was shocked by the
women who weren't completely covered and by
the royal poets dancing with feathers and
masks, which violates Islamic beliefs.

Our Last Stop is

the Fall of Mali

Mali's fall started with the death

of Mansa Musa Mali in 1332
Mali was attacked on all four
sides
States within the Mali empire
started to rebel and many gained
independence from Mali such as
Gao.

Palace Mud Brick

Palace Mud Brick

This mud brick was recovered from Mansa Musa's

palace that was created by a famous architect who

used mud construction techniques.
Mansa Musa brought this architect back to Mali after
his pilgrimage.
After the death of Mansa Musa which initiated the fall
of the empire, artifacts such as this were found from
the remains of his palace.
This is just one of the multiple rare artifacts that our
museum has to offer.

Terracotta Sculpture

Terracotta Sculpture

This sculpture was found by the Inland Niger Delta, a

region near Djenne.
Djenne was a prosperous city of trade during the Mali
Empire.
When the Mali empire started to decline due to the

death of their leader, Mansa Musa Mali, the empires

surrounding it began invading. Once the Mali Empire
crumbled, the people succeeding it adopted the
techniques used to build sculptures just like these.
Even after the downfall of the empire in the 15th
century, the technological advances made by the
people in Mali continued to inspire those following
the empire.
Our museum has original artifacts such as this that
started the history of terracotta sculptures in other
nations.

Rihlah- a detailed
travelogue

Rihlah Description

The Rihlah is a travelogue made by an Arab

traveler by the name of Ibn Battuta.
In the logue, Ibn Battuta describes the cities to

which he traveled to in the Mali Empire. The

cities are described as rebellious.
This logue shows that the cause of the fall of the
Mali Empire is partially due to the cities it
already controls rebelling. These cities such as
Gao rebelled and gained independence causing
the Mali empire to slowly lose territories.
This travelogue is a priceless artifact that holds
many secrets of Mali's history and can only be
found in our splendid Museum.

Bibliography
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