1743 French Map of Northwest Africa, depicting the areas covered in this curriculum unit.
Courtesy of American Memory at the Library of Congress.
Subject Areas
Art and Culture
Anthropology
Architecture
History and Social Studies
World History - Africa
World History - Ancient World
World History - Asia/Far East
Time Required
Activity 1: 2 class periods (1 for lesson; 1 for assessment)
Activity 2: 2 class periods
Activity 3: 2 class periods
Activity 4: 2 class periods
Activity 5: 2 class periods
Activity 6: 2 class periods
Activity 7: 2 class periods
Activity 8: indeterminate
Skills
Map skills
Observation and description
Historical interpretation and analysis
Critical Thinking
Information gathering
Visual analysis
Communication
Mansa Musa, an ardent Muslim, was the first emperor of Mali to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He certainly left a powerful impression among the people he encountered in Cairo, Mecca, and Medina, opening their eyes to the dignity of the Malian rulers as well as the great wealth of their empire. When he returned home, he brought with him a Muslim architect, al-Sahili, who introduced a new style of architecture to West Africa. The mosques built at this time would become centers of scholarship as well as worship.
You've heard about Mali's famous emperor, Mansa Musa, but you want
to learn more about this fascinating figure. You've traveled by time machine
to Timbuktu. It's the year 1324. You are disguised as a member of the royal
court. There's a great deal of commotion today, because everyone is getting
ready to accompany the emperor on his pilgrimage to Mecca.
You'll go along, too. This is an invaluable opportunity to learn all about the
great man first hand, with the added bonus of seeing some of the cities that
lie beyond the eastern horizon.
Here are some of the questions you will seek to answer:
How did Mansa Musa travel to Mecca?
What was he like? How was he received in Cairo?
What decisions did the ruler make about his own realm during and after his
pilgrimage?
In what ways was Mali changed as a result of the pilgrimage?
After investigating the life and times of Mansa Musa, you'll be able
to:
Identify Mansa Musa and discuss his pilgrimage
Explain how he related to leaders in the East
Describe decisions he made about his homeland
Discuss changes brought about in Mali as a result of his pilgrimage
Before you set out for Mecca, you should check out the background
information on Mali's ruler by visiting: Mansa
Musa. Be sure to keep your notepad
handy!
The camels are all hitched up, the wagons are loaded, and the royal entourage
is ready to set out for Mecca. Hop aboard one of the camels. This should
be quite an adventure!
Think of how difficult it must have been to organize and direct
such a huge caravan!
Where did the emperor get all that gold? How might the people of the Middle
East have viewed the West African states before Mansa Musa's visit? How did
he almost ruin the good impression he had made, and what does this say about
his political savvy? How did this visit influence the way Europeans, Asians,
and North Africans thought about the land of the Niger?
The route of his pilgrimage can be viewed at A
Center for Trade available through African
Studies WWW. The pick axes on the map indicate salt mines, while the gold
bars mark gold mines. Why might Mansa Musa have taken a slightly more southern
route home?
This is when Mali became known as “the Land of Gold.” In fact, it has been
estimated that it would soon supply two thirds of the gold used for European
coins and artifacts.
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage was immortalized in a map of Africa contained in the
Catalan World Atlas of 1375.
Photo op!
Access The Catalan map.
Guinea (Mansa Musa is referred to as the Lord of the Negroes of Guinea) was
actually the coastal region of West Africa where many of the gold mines were
located. At that time, it was also a part of Mali. In what ways is
Mansa Musa presented as a European might have envisioned him? (For example,
did he wear a European type of crown and sit upon a throne?)
2. Mosques, West African Style
While Mansa Musa's pilgrimage opened the eyes of Europeans and Middle Easterners
to the wealth of Mali, it also convinced the ruler that he should make the cities
of his realm a showplace of the Islamic world. His encounter in Mecca with Muslim
architect al-Sahili would help him to do this. According to legend, Mansa Musa
bribed the architect with about 200 kilograms of gold to return with him to
Mali. He later commissioned him to build mosques in the port cities of Gao and
Timbuktu, as well as a royal palace.
Everyone has returned from the pilgrimage. It's nice not to have to spend
another day on the back of a camel! Al-Sahili, the Muslim architect,
has gone to work. He's got some great ideas. The local architecture will never
be the same!
Access Mansa
Musa. Scroll to the 8th paragraph beginning “He commissioned.”
Why was the mosque made of clay? Why did the walls have to be replastered
annually? You're standing beside the mosque.
Take a penknife and make a hole in the plaster on the wall. It's
easy, isn't it? Imagine what a couple of weeks of torrential rain can do!
Now go to Timbuktu:
The Mythical Site and read the paragraphs about the Djingareyber and Sankore
mosques. What connection does Sankore have with the Kaaba?
A very practical feature of the new style of mosques was the arrangement of
wooden posts (known as toron or “horns”) that protruded from the outer walls.
They were used to hold scaffolding when the walls were replastered each year.
Photo op!
For a close look at the wooden posts used for scaffolding, go to Mali.
Click on view slideshows. Navigate to the 4th slide.
The Friday Mosque at Djenne, just up the river from Timbuktu, was built slightly
earlier than Djingareyber, but it has been reconstructed since then. The present-day
mosque is an excellent example of West African Islamic architecture.
Photo op!
Go to Djenne, Mali.
Scroll down to the third paragraph and continue to the end of the page. Notice
the “horns” on the building. What is a secondary function of these
supports? More photo ops! Now go to Great
Mosque of Djenne. You can view additional photos of this structure by
accessing Mosque
in Djenne.
Location Scouting Summary: Mansa Musa's Mali
Using the information you've gathered on the pilgrimage and "back
home" in Mali, write a feature article for the website of Globe Trekkers entitled:
“Mansa Musa puts Mali on the Map.”
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