When did the Mali Empire exist?

The Mali Empire existed c. 1235 – 1670. On this map it is drawn 1236–1611.

How large was the Mali Empire?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Mali Empire covered about 1.1 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Africa · The Sahelian empires

Mali Empire

Empire · c. 1235 – 1670

The Mali Empire was the great West African empire of the 13th–16th centuries, dominating the upper Niger and the trans-Saharan gold trade and reaching its zenith under Mansa Musa, reputedly the wealthiest man of his age.

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Type: Empire
Existed: c. 1235 – 1670
Shown on the map: 1236–1611
Peak area: 1.1M km²
Region: Africa

Overview

Origins and founding

The empire was founded around 1235 by Sundiata Keita, a Mandinka prince who united the Mali heartland and defeated Sumanguru of Sosso at the Battle of Kirina. Oral epics preserved by griots, supplemented by Arabic chronicles, recount his establishment of the Kouroukan Fouga, a constitution organizing clans and social castes, and the Gbara, a great assembly. Authority radiated from the capital (Niani, on the upper Niger) through provinces governed by royal appointees called farbas.

Political history

After Sundiata's death, succession struggles culminated in the usurpation of the former slave-general Sakura around 1285, whose effective rule expanded trade links. The Keita line was restored, and under Mansa Musa (r. c. 1312–1337) the empire reached its height, covering roughly 1.24 million km² around 1350. His pilgrimage of 1324–26, distributing so much gold in Cairo that he depressed its price for years, made Mali famous across the Islamic world and Europe; en route he annexed Timbuktu. His brother and successor Sulayman (r. to 1360) maintained the empire's prestige, hosting Ibn Battuta in 1352–53.

Economy and culture

Mali's wealth derived from gold — the Bambuk, Bure, and Galam fields, by the 14th century supplying perhaps half the Old World's gold — exchanged for Taghazza salt and Saharan and Mediterranean goods, with gold dust as currency. Timbuktu's Sankore mosque-university drew scholars from across the Islamic world.

Religion

The ruling Keita dynasty and urban elite were Muslim, while traditional Mande religion remained strong in the countryside; rulers balanced both constituencies.

Decline and fall

From the late 14th century succession disputes weakened the center: Tuareg seized Timbuktu in 1433, Songhai and the Mossi raided the frontiers, and Songhai sacked the capital in 1544/45. Moroccan musketeers destroyed the successor powers of the Niger bend at Djenne in 1599; the shrunken Keita state lingered around Kangaba before dissolving in the 17th century.

Legacy

Mali fixed the association of West Africa with gold in the world's imagination, gave Timbuktu its legendary status, and remains the founding national myth of the modern Republic of Mali.

Common questions

What was the Mali Empire?: The Mali Empire was the great West African empire of the 13th–16th centuries, dominating the upper Niger and the trans-Saharan gold trade and reaching its zenith under Mansa Musa, reputedly the wealthiest man of his age.
When did the Mali Empire exist?: The Mali Empire existed c. 1235 – 1670. On this map it is drawn 1236–1611.
How large was the Mali Empire?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Mali Empire covered about 1.1 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled the Mali Empire?: After Sundiata's death, succession struggles culminated in the usurpation of the former slave-general Sakura around 1285, whose effective rule expanded trade links. The Keita line was restored, and under Mansa Musa (r. c. 1312–1337) the empire reached its height, covering roughly 1.24 million km² around 1350.
How did the Mali Empire end?: From the late 14th century succession disputes weakened the center: Tuareg seized Timbuktu in 1433, Songhai and the Mossi raided the frontiers, and Songhai sacked the capital in 1544/45. Moroccan musketeers destroyed the successor powers of the Niger bend at Djenne in 1599; the shrunken Keita state lingered around Kangaba before dissolving in the 17th century.
What did the economy and culture of the Mali Empire rest on?: Mali's wealth derived from gold — the Bambuk, Bure, and Galam fields, by the 14th century supplying perhaps half the Old World's gold — exchanged for Taghazza salt and Saharan and Mediterranean goods, with gold dust as currency. Timbuktu's Sankore mosque-university drew scholars from across the Islamic world.
Why does the Mali Empire still matter?: Mali fixed the association of West Africa with gold in the world's imagination, gave Timbuktu its legendary status, and remains the founding national myth of the modern Republic of Mali.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia — Mali Empire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Empire

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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