1. Ancient Kingdom of Mali Would Mali have been as powerful as an empire if it wasn’t for the fall of Ghana?

2. Who founded the Mali Empire? Sundiata Keita and the Malinke people founded the Mali empire in the mid 11 th century. Sundiata became one of the most powerful rulers of Mali.

3. Ghana decline, and start of Mali When the Sahara desert began to spread southward toward Ghana, it threatened their food supplies. The Almoravids started a war between the two empires, eventually ending the Ghana empire for good. Now Sundiata Keita rose from this decline and began his own empire, Mali .

4. When did Mali start to rise? Mali arose around the mid 12 th century. The height of the Mali Empire was around the 14 th century. They controlled the gold mines in the south, and salt supplies in the north, which they took over from Ghana.

5. Who was Mansa Musa? Mansa Musa reigned king of Mali from 1312 to 1327. He based his rules on the Quran, the holy book of the religion of Islam. In 1324, Musa made a pilgrimage, or a religious journey, to Mecca.

6. Mansa Musa On this religious journey he brought 60,000 people and 80 camels, with 300 pounds of gold on each of them. He gave away that gold to people along the way to Mecca.

7. The decline and fall of Mali The decline of the Mali empire began after the death of Mansa Musa. After his death his son could not keep control of the empire. This was the beginning of the end. After the death of Mahmud IV, the empire collapsed. Just as Mali had risen from Ghana, Songhai had risen from Mali.