In the 1230s, a man called Sundiata Keita incorporated a series of smaller kingdoms into the Mali Empire. The empire was central to several key trading routes, and with the support of a well ...

As a result of monopolizing the gold trade and developing its agricultural resources, the Mali Empire prospered. The currency of Mali, like Ghana, was the guilders’ currency. A heavy guilder’s tax was ...

The Mali Empire was the center of the world’s gold production, affording Musa indescribable wealth. During his reign, he embarked on a fabled gold-laden pilgrimage to Mecca.