Starting an Empire
This guy was the orignal founder of the Mali Empire. His name means Lion prince
Sundiata Keita
This essential mineral from the Sahara was often traded ounce-for-ounce for gold.
Salt
The special title for the king of Mali
Mansa
Ibn Battuta spent four months in this town on the Oasis of Tafilalt waiting for winter to cross the Sahara. What was this town called?
Sijilmasa
Ibn Battuta described these "veiled" nomadic people of the desert as "good for nothing" after they held up his caravan for payment. What were these people called?
The Berber nomads
Sundiata beat Sosso kingdom at this big battle in 1235 to take control. What was this battle called?
The Battle of Kirina
This famous city started as a small camp for Tuareg nomads but became a massive center for books and learning.
Timbuktu
To show respect, anyone visiting the king had to be barefoot and pour this over their own heads. what was this thing called?
Dust
what did Ibn Buttuta think was so weird about the town of Taghaza?
The houses were built of salt
To reach Fez from the desert, Ibn Battuta had to cross this mountain range during the "dead of winter." What were these mountains called?
the Atlas Mountains
The name "Mali" actually has a cool meaning. It translates to?
the place where the king lives
While regular people used gold dust to buy things, only the King was allowed to own these "chunks" of gold.
Golden Nuggets
This famous ruler (the first) had an army of 100,000 men, including 10,000 guys on horses. What is his name?
Mansa Musa
Why did Ibn Battuta almost die in the middle of his trip?
He ate some undercooked yams.
Ibn Battuta called this city, his final destination, the "center of the intellectual universe west of Cairo" What was the name of this city?
The Fez Morocco
Before Mali was the big boss, this empire was the first major power in West Africa?
The Ghana Empire
This long river was like the "superhighway" for Mali, letting them move goods by boat all over the region. What was this river called?
The Niger River
While the leaders became Muslims, most of the regular farmers in the countryside kept these "traditional" beliefs. What were these beliefs called?
Animism
What was one thing Ibn Battuta actually liked about the Mali Empire?
It was super safe and there were no thieves.
Upon his return, the Sultan of Morocco commissioned a young scholar named Ibn Juzayy to write down Ibn Battuta’s stories into this famous book, whose title means "The Travels."
The Rihla
To make sure conquered leaders didn't rebel, the Mali kings would take these people from the leaders' families and keep them at the capital. What were these people called?
hostages
Besides gold, traders used these little shells from Persia as a type of money. What were these shells called?
Cowry shells
All future kings had to come from this specific family "clan." What was this clan called?
The Keita Clan
How did Ibn Battuta feel about the way men and women interacted in Mali?
He was annoyed because he thought they should be separated.
Including his final trip to Mali, Ibn Battuta is estimated to have traveled this many miles—more than three times the distance covered by Marco Polo.
75,000 miles