Mansa Musa ruled for the next 25 years and used Mali's military might to control the trade routes of the Sahara and the Niger River, greatly expanding the wealth and power of the empire.

How did Mali become wealthy? gold and salt mines of Mali accounted for much of the country's wealth. Trade routes across the Sahara Desert connected the Mali Empire to Europe and the Middle East.

A heavy guilder’s tax was imposed on everything that passed through the empire, in or out. In four centuries, Mali expanded its territory, influence, and culture thanks to a well-trained imperial army ...