Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor.
~Arnold J. Toynbee
The Empire of Mali was a trading empire that flourished in western Africa from the thirteenth to sixteenth century [ii], after the decline of the Empire of Ghana[iii]. Although origins of its name are not certain, the word means "hippopatamus", but it eventually came to mean "the place where the king lives"[iv]. One Malian legend also describes how the empire's founder, Sundiata Keita, changed himself into a hippopatamus in the Sankarani river[v]. Since a majority of African history was not written down, information on the history of the Empire of Mali come from accounts written about by Arab writers, archeologists, and the stories of the griots (people who have traditionally learned and taught history in west Africa), which is taught using music, poetry, drama, and dance[vi]. At its peak, the empire included an estimated 40 to 50 million people[vii].
Historically, the Empire of Mali was significant because of its control of the prosperous trade routes and its wealth, as well as many other things, such as promoting and rooting Islam throughout Western Africa and introducing a new style of architecture through the Mosque at Timbuktu.
Historically, the Empire of Mali was significant because of its control of the prosperous trade routes and its wealth, as well as many other things, such as promoting and rooting Islam throughout Western Africa and introducing a new style of architecture through the Mosque at Timbuktu.