Mansa Musa & the Kingdom of Mali Flashcards
1
Q
- What were Mansa Musa’s reign dates? (1)
A
- 1312-1337
2
Q
- During its period of superiority, how many square kilometres did the empire cover? (1)
A
- 1 million square kilometres
3
Q
- What was a nickname for Mansa Musa? (2)
A
- Mansa the Magnificent, or the Lion of Mali.
4
Q
- What was his time of rule nicknamed? (1)
A
- Mali’s Golden Age
5
Q
- Why was Mansa Musa able to maintain his power? (4)
A
- Access to important raw materials, including gold.
- strong army to protect natural resources.
- towns and villages were allowed to continue their traditional practices.
- friendly relationships with neighbouring African kingdoms.
6
Q
- How did Mansa Musa govern Mali? (4)
A
- He divided his empire in 14 provinces
- This included 24 towns and numerous villages
- Each province had a governor
- Each town/village had a mayor
7
Q
- Where were the largest gold mines in Mali? (1)
A
- the south of the kingdom
8
Q
- How much gold did Mali produce in the 14th century? (1)
A
- half the gold of Africa, Europe and Asia combined
9
Q
- What happened to any gold entering the kingdom? (1)
A
- It was made the property of the king.
10
Q
- What was the mithqal? (2)
A
- a 4.5g bag of gold dust, used for currency.
11
Q
- What else could be used as currency in Mali? (3)
A
- salt, copper and cloth.
12
Q
- What was Mansa Musa’s estimated wealth in modern day terms? (1)
A
- £300 billion
13
Q
- What did the population of Mali produce in terms of food? (5)
A
- millet, sorghum, rice, fish and breeding cattle.
14
Q
- What were Malians encouraged to grow? (5)
A
- cotton, beans, rice, onion, kola nuts.
15
Q
- When was Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage to Mecca? (2)
A
- Between 1324-1326
16
Q
- Who did Mansa Musa travel with to Mecca? (6)
A
- soldiers, officials, merchants, servants and slaves, totalling 60,000
17
Q
- What did Mansa Musa travel with? (2)
A
- 80 camels, each loaded with gifts.
- 150kg of gold and gold dust.
18
Q
- What did Mansa Musa do on his pilgrimage? (4)
A
- Gave away gold to poor communities.
- Every Friday, he would stop the journey and pay for a new mosque to be built at the village where he stopped.
- He recruited scholars and architects to return to work in Mali
- He collected books which he took back to Mali
19
Q
- What happened when Mansa Musa reached Egypt? (1)
A
- He gave away so much gold that the value of gold went down.
20
Q
- What were two other consequences of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage? (2)
A
- he spent so much he had to take out a loan to return
- It was so famous that for the first time ever, Mali appeared on the maps throughout Europe and the Middle East.
21
Q
- What was the name of the famous atlas that Mansa Musa appeared in and when was it produced? (2)
A
- Catalan Atlas, 1375
22
Q
- What did Mansa Musa turn Timbuktu into? (3)
A
- the capital city of Mali
- the centre of learning in Mali
- a major cultural centre
23
Q
- What was the name of the mosque built in Timbuktu? (2)
A
- Djingareyber Mosque (1), with space for 2,000 worshippers (1)
24
Q
- What else did Mansa Musa build with his wealth? (3)
A
- 180 schools
- three universities
- many mosques teaching the Koran
25
25. What was the name of the first university in Mali? (1)
- Sankore University
26
26. How many students could Sankore accommodate? (1)
- 25,000
27
27. Where did students come from to study at Sankore? (2)
- Everywhere, from Saudi Arabia (1) to Europe (1).
28
28. Overall, what are some of the reasons Mansa Musa was so famous? (3)
- Gold
- His pilgrimage to Mecca
- Timbuktu
