Mali Empire

The Mali Empire was founded in the 13th century by Sundiata Keita, who defeated the Sosso king Sumanguru around 1235. His story, the Epic of Sundiata, is still told by griots across West Africa.

Tradition holds that Mali's founders agreed a set of laws known as the Manden Charter, sometimes described as one of the world's oldest constitutions. UNESCO recognises it as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

Mali controlled the gold fields of West Africa and the trade routes across the Sahara. Its most famous ruler, Mansa Musa, made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 and spent so much gold in Cairo that chroniclers said its value there stayed low for years.

Under Mali, Timbuktu and Gao grew into centres of trade and Islamic scholarship, and the traveller Ibn Battuta visited in the 1350s. The empire declined from the 15th century as Songhai rose to replace it.