Of the Islamic Empires in West Africa, the Mali Empire was the largest and most influential. During the reign of Mansa Musa, there was no European kingdom larger than the Mali empire.
The Malians used mud bricks and plaster made of adobe to erect their buildings. Protruding out of the walls are large wood beams, used for support.
Mansa Musa is considered as the architect of the Malian Empire. Here ruled from 1312 - 1337.
Of the Islamic Empires in West Africa, the Mali Empire was the largest and most influential. During the reign of Mansa Musa, there was no European kingdom larger than the Mali empire.
MANSA MUSA
Mansa Musa is considered as the architect of the Malian Empire. Emperor Musa was a Sunni Muslim who is often described as being devout. According to history, on Mansa Musa’s voyage back from pilgrimage, he stopped by Cairo, Egypt and returned home with lots of books and Maliki jurists, scholars, and administrators. Because of this fact, we learn that he was a part of the Maliki school of thought. Because Mali practiced oral transmissions of history rather than written, there are no records of names of the judges of this time. Emperor Musa realized that his empire was too large to be controlled by just one person; therefore he divided his empire into smaller provinces and assigned a governor to each one. In this political structure, the day to day problems were resolved by the governors and he too took advisors to help him with problems that may affect his empire. He also had armies to guard the gold that the region was flooded with. Mansa Musa believed in the good of education, therefore education was free and universities were established by him. Mansa Musa was known for his generosity and willingness to share. Some say on his journey to Mecca, he left Mali with 12,000 men and others say 60,000. He also had about 1,000 camels and each one was carrying gold. Mansa Musa was reported to have taken care of each person and the camels during this trip, as well as hand out gold to those he met that were less fortunate. It is believed that Mansa Musa handed out so much gold that he had to borrow gold in order to get back to Mali with his entourage. Mansa Musa was known to have been a pious man, a scholar, and a generous and fair ruler.
Empire of Umar Tall
Mosque in the homeland of Umar Tall
Al-Hajj Umar ibn Sa'id al-Futi Tal (1796-1864). Known as the khalifa of the Tijaniyya Sufi Brotherhood, his legacy is well renowned for the resistance his Empire put up to the French colonial conquest
Empire of Umar Tall
Umar Tall (Al-Hajj Umar ibn Sa'id al-Futi Tal
Umar Saidou Tall, born in Futa Tooro, Senegal, was a political leader, Islamic scholar and West African. He hailed from the noble Fulani, a people who had become renowned for their Islamic scholarship throughout West Africa by the seventeenth century. He was especially renowned for his teaching of jurisprudence, hadith and, of course, Sufism. Resenting his growing influence, the non-Muslim leaders in the area attacked his settlement in 1851. Nearly a year later, Shaykh Umar received official permission for the jihad from the Prophet Muhammad and Shaykh Ahmad Tijani in a visionary encounter. The jihad was first exclusively directed against the non-Muslim Bambara, whom al-Hajj Umar accused of grave injustices, enslaving Muslims and threatening the practice of Islam. The Toucouleur Empire of Segou under Al Hajj Umar was far from weak opponents and the progress of French expansion suffered as a result of their presence. There existed a great diversity of political, social, economic, and ideological organization in West Africa at the time of French colonial expansion.
Though it only lasted 20 years (1878–1898), it paved the way for the leadership of Guinea 60 years later.
The founder of the Wassoulou Empire. He was captured by the in 1898 and remained in captivity until his death in 1900.
Samory Touré with his French captors in 1899.
Though it only lasted 20 years (1878–1898), it paved the way for the leadership of Guinea 60 years later.
Samory Touré
The independence of Guinea began long before the French withdrew in October 2, 1958. In the year 1978, Samori Touré founded the Wassoulou Empire (Mandinka Empire), which is now modern day Guinea. Touré was born in 1830 to a family of traders. Many of the African regions were becoming rich from trading with the Europeans. The firearms traded changed the strategies of traditional African warfare. With the use of the new weapons, the numbers of fatalities grew throughout the region, causing many to flee their lands for safety. His mother was captured by the warring Cissé clan , and in the 1850’s, Touré joined the Cissé, with an agreement to free her after providing military service. During his time of service Touré acquired military skills. He later fled with his mother and joined the military of the Bérété, the enemy of the Cissé. After a couple of years Touré rejoined his people and vowed to always protect them. Touré began to train and command an army. He united his people and gave them great military discipline. They became known as the Mandinka. By 1867, Touré had a large enough army to campaign against his enemies. He had two main goals: to build a stable empire and for his army to be a force that could wield European weaponry.
France at the time was the main European force that was colonizing West Africa. Touré needed a European country that could provide the necessary firearms to combat the French forces. The country that came to Touré’s aid was Great Britain. The British did not want to go to war with France at the time and did not step in militarily for Mandinka. But they did supply Touré with firearms through their colony in Sierra Leone. These firearms helped Touré push the French out of areas with in the region, but only for a short time.
In the 1880’s, the Mandinka expanded their empire to Mali, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Liberia. Touré’s empire peeked from 1883 – 1887, in which he was given the title Almami, head of a Muslim empire. By the 1889, France, along with many Senegalese troops had pushed the Mandinka’s further away from the coast. Touré was forced to sign peace treaties with the French army in various parts of the interior of West Africa. The peace treaties only lasted for a few years as France bulked up their military forces. Touré too increased his military as his army moved towards the east. He conquered a large portion of what is present day Northern Ivory Coast. Touré was on the path of a rising second empire. The French then increased their military campaign against Touré. They took control of the town just north of Touré’s position. Touré’s army was struck by a famine and weakened. The French attacked the army held up in the Liberian forests and Touré was captured on September 29,1898 and taken to Ndjolé, Gabon. Touré would never leave captivity, he died of pneumonia on June 2, 1900.
After the 1884 Berlin Conference which partitioned Africa, French forces began encroaching on Mandinka. Although his army initially defeated the French, between 1885 and 1889 their military forces, which often included Senegalese troops, succeeded in pushing him further into the West African interior. After several confrontations, Touré in 1889 concluded various peace treaties with the French forces.
In December 1891, increasing French incursions into Touré’s empire led to the exodus of the entire nation eastward. Between 1893 and 1898, Touré's Army conquered vast territories in present day Northern Ivory Coast. Toure formed a second empire and established its new capital in the city of Kong, Upper Ivory Coast.
On May 1, 1898, when the French seized the town of Sikasso, just north of the new empire, Touré and his army took up positions in the Liberian forests to resist a second invasion. This time, however, famine and desertion weakened his forces and the French seized Touré on September 29, 1898, in his camp at Guélémou in present-day Ivory Coast. Touré was exiled to Ndjolé, Gabon, where he died of pneumonia on June 2, 1900.