gold earrings Mali Land of Gold Griots mu

gold earrings Mali Land of Gold & Griots mu dcloth A griot of today

Sundiata: The Lion King n n Prince of the Mandinka people, who were conquered by cruel Susu In 1230, he conquered the Susu people Under Sundiata, Mali prospered Died in 1255

Mansa Musa n n Mini. Fact: Mansa means Emperor or King Several kings ruled after Sundiata’s death Mansa Musa was grandson of Sundiata’s half brother He became the greatest king of Mali in 1312 Under Mansa Musa, Mali became a great trading center

The Hajj n Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim n Muslims must make a journey to Mecca called a ‘hajj’ n Mansa Musa crossed Africa to reach Mecca n He took a huge caravan with him in 1324 n After that, everyone knew about the wealth of Mali

A Muslim church is called a Mosque This is the mosque at Djenne in Mali. It’s built of mud!

What did Mali trade? n Gold The dotted lines are trade routes from Mali to other parts of Africa

What else did they trade? Camels, the ships of the desert, traveled in caravans bringing to Mali: Salt n Copper n Ivory n Cloth n Kola Nuts n Slaves n Books n Shells n Mini. Fact: This was before Columbus even sailed to the New World!

Why was Salt Important? n The man is holding a slab of salt mined recently near Timbuktu Mini. Fact: The picture behind these words is also a slab of SALT! n n Mali often traded its gold for salt Salt was sometimes more valuable than gold! People’s bodies need salt to live n In the desert heat, salt is lost through perspiration Salt was used to preserve food Salt was brought in large slabs (coins)

Timbuktu n A very important city in Mali Center of learning for Muslims n Universities and schools n Largest trading center in Mali n On the Niger River n Trade n Food n Washing n Timbuktu 19 th century traders in Timbuktu

The Griots n n This is a modern griot of Mali with his instrument (Kora). n Storytellers were called Griots or djeli They were important people in Mali They told the land’s history Most of what we know about ancient Mali came from the storytellers They were advisors to the kings

Mali Today