The Mali Empire (c. 1235 - c. 1672) emerged in the western Sahel following the decline of the Ghana Empire and rose to prominence under the leadership of Sundiata Keita (reigned c. 1235 - 1255). Consolidating Mandé-speaking territories along the upper Niger River, Mali developed into a centralized imperial state built upon control of trans-Saharan trade routes linking West Africa to North Africa and the Mediterranean world. Its wealth derived primarily from gold production and taxation of commerce in commodities such as salt, copper, and enslaved persons, embedding the empire within broader Afro-Eurasian economic networks of the medieval period.
At its height in the 14th century, particularly under Mansa Musa (reigned c. 1312–1337), Mali became internationally renowned for both its economic power and its integration into the Islamic world. Royal patronage of scholarship and architecture strengthened urban centers such as Timbuktu and Gao, while administrative organization and tributary governance sustained authority across vast territories. Over time, however, shifting trade patterns, regional fragmentation, and the rise of successor states, most notably the Songhai Empire, reduced Mali’s dominance. By the late 17th century, the empire had fragmented, yet its legacy endured in West African political culture, Islamic scholarship, and global economic history.
I would like to thank @Martin_Maansson for his extensive research, inspiration, and amazing map of the medieval trade routes.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2024, April 29). Map of the Mali Empire under Mansa Musa, c.1337: Power, Gold, and the Trans-Saharan Trade Network. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18903/map-of-the-mali-empire-under-mansa-musa-c1337/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Mali Empire under Mansa Musa, c.1337: Power, Gold, and the Trans-Saharan Trade Network." World History Encyclopedia, April 29, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18903/map-of-the-mali-empire-under-mansa-musa-c1337/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Mali Empire under Mansa Musa, c.1337: Power, Gold, and the Trans-Saharan Trade Network." World History Encyclopedia, 29 Apr 2024, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18903/map-of-the-mali-empire-under-mansa-musa-c1337/.
