Question

Which of these options can possibly explain the glory of the Mali Empire, considered as the richest empire of medieval Africa?

• A. Timbuktu grew to become a cultural hub.
• B. The empire had extensive trade connections.
• C. The empire sent its people to famous foreign universities as it had no good universities of its own.
• D. Scholars were invited to the Mali Empire.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (B), (D)

Scholars were invited to the Mali Empire.

The ruler of the Mali Empire at that time was the famous Kankan Musa, known in European records as Mansa Musa. He is considered to be the richest person in history because of the amount of gold he accumulated. The city of Timbuktu developed under him as the most important cultural and commercial centre of medieval Africa. This city was the site of one of the earliest knowledge centres of the medieval world, the University of Timbuktu. The ‘great mosque’ built by Kankan Musa was a centre of Islamic studies in the medieval age.