Origin and Location of the Ancient Mali Empire

JSS 2 SECOND TERM E-NOTE

Week 1 & 2

TOPIC: Origin and Location of the Ancient Mali Empire

 

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

1. State the origin of the ancient Mali Empire and identify its location on the map of Africa.

2. Describe the socio-economic and socio-political structures of the ancient Mali Empire.

3. explain the factors that led to the rise of the ancient Mali Empire; and

4. Explain the factors that led to the fall of the ancient Mali Empire.

After the fall of the ancient Ghana Empire, many smaller territories tried to dominate and rule over other regions. The Susu people of the Kaniaga kingdom and the Malinke people of the Upper Niger were prominent among other territories. With the desire to conquer and rule, the Susu first rose to defeat the Malinke people and brought them under their government. As a result, the Susu rose to prominence over the Malinke and established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

But in 1235, Sundiata from the Keita clan among the Malinke people, with the help of the king of Mema (a former province of the ancient Ghana Empire) and other armnies fought and won the Battle of Kirina against King Soumaoro Kanté of Susu. By winning, Sundiata Keita of Malinke established himself as a competent military commander. He seized power from other local leaders, united various lands together and made a kingdom for himself. He then rose to become the king of the ancient Mali Empire, one of the largest empires (twice the size of ancient Ghana) in the region of West Africa.

The ancient Mali Empire was located around the Niger River between the Sahara Desert to the north and the coastal rainforest in the south. In our present-day, the ancient Mali Empire would encompass the following countries: Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, Western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and northern Ghana.