Mansa Musa was arguably the greatest king in the western African area of his time and what he did made him widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. Mansa Musa’s hajj changed the course of History significantly because of the inflation of gold, the development of Timbuktu and Mali, and how much power Mansa Musa had and how he used it on numerous things. Mansa Musa’s is famous for giving out so much gold that ruined the Egyptian economy. Mansa Musa was the grandson of Sundiata, the founder of the dynasty, Mansa Musa came to throne in 1307. Musa the Magnificent began his hajj across Africa in 1324. Mansa Musa traveled along the “Niger River To Mema, then to Walata, then through Taghaza and on to Tuat.” Musa arrived in Egypt a few days …show more content…
When Mansa Musa came to power, Mali struck it rich. Traders always stopped at Mali, and Mansa Musa was very generous. Mali grew larger than any kingdom in Europe and the economy became really strong. “Mali collected taxes on imports and exports, which added to Mali’s wealth”. The trade routes also helped spread the religion of Islam. Mali had control over salt mines, diamonds, copper, and finally gold which assured it economic prosperity. He also helped to spread Islam. He built many schools which taught the teachings of the Qur’an. He ordered many Mosques to be built while on his hajj. This attracted many followers as he has a high opinion of the Qur’an. On Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage, he took about 60,000 men, 80 camels, each camel carried about 300 pounds of gold, and plenty of slaves. There was no need to worry about being robbed or the gold being stolen with that big of an army. Mansa Musa’s army is huge itself which made a lot of people fear him but at the same time it got more followers for Mansa Musa. The army guarded the gold mines, every time Mansa Musa left the castle, 300 guards would follow him! He was a very well protected and feared King. Mansa Musa may sound very violent and savage, but he is actually very generous and peaceful. Mansa Musa was basically the perfect king: he was very religious, generous, possesses a lot of power, and
The Olaundah Equiano narrative is a view of servitude from a former captive himself. He begins his story in Africa from the land of Esska, his native homeland. He describes his tribe and all the many traditions they practiced as a way of living. Equiano was not originally born into servitude but a free male, son of a chief. Equiano’s life in Africa was common among the many members of his tribe. He was strongly attached to his mother and clenched to her as much as possible. His father obtained many slaves himself, but treated them like an equal part of the family. Equiano lived a common life in African society, until one day his destiny took an unexpected turn for the worst and life would never be the same.
“It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how you life’s story will develop” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf). Most people can deal with difficulties, but their reactions to the hardships are different. Only some people can manage their problems. We should try to manage our behaviors in tough situations. If we can deal with our situations, we can overcome difficulties easily. In the story of Farewell to Manzanar written by Jeanne Wakatsuki, the story shows how war can change humans, their life, and their ranks. Although all of the characters of her book face the same problems due to the war and the camps they had to live in, they responded to those situations differently. All of them presented
The book Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston explores many subjects and ideas, including our universal concept of power, our theme of justice, and events happening during World War II. Throughout the book I learned many things I did not know that have really benefited towords the way I think. From reading this book I have gained a new knowledge of this time in history and what it might mean to teenage Americans today.
The fame over Islam strengthened Mali in a couple of different ways. With Islam as the official religion of Mali it influenced the idea of a community and brotherhood which was a unifying force for Mali. Also it helped create stronger relationships with trading partners and allies as well. The Islam people of Mali followed the lead of Mansa Musa and held academics and scholarly learning in the highest of regards. Many great works can be attributed to the people who learned and taught at Muslim centers of education. While Islam was the official religion of the nation there was religious tolerance. Mansa Musa was adamant that those who held different beliefs were acceptable. While Mansa Musa most certainly wanted to spread what he believed to be the true word of God to the people of his country he gave people the choice. Many have suggested that Mansa Musa allowing other religions actually helped spread the Islamic faith by letting people choose for themselves and truly believing the faith they were more inclined to spread the faith. The Islamic faith exploded in Mali and brought the nation closer together not only with itself but with many other Islamic
Islam is presented in the Epic of Sundiata in a way that encourages listeners to embrace Islam over their indigenous belief systems. The epic accomplishes this by incorporating elements and practices of the indigenous beliefs into Islamic tradition; and by adapting certain Islamic mythology — such as the Jinn — to the existing West African culture. It also asserts the superior power and strength of those who derive their power from Allah and the Jinn, to those whose power is based in ancestral worship and fetishes. Through conflict, adaptation, and tolerance, the Epic of Sundiata presents an accessible version of Islam to the people of the Mali Empire; and promotes the acceptance of this new faith over the indigenous beliefs of the area.
So many Americans today are in the dark about the true origin of the African descent. From my past experiences in history classes, the teacher of coarse job is to teach from the textbook. The problem with that is the whole truth does not lie between those pages of how African culture became about. I will discuss the first king of Egypt and how his story applies today.
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
Mufasa was one really great king. He made sure everyone was happy and he made sure everyone had food and water and he tried to make sure everything was right in his kingdom. After scar killed him, the kingdom drastically changed. Hyenas accompanied Scar
Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta, is well-known for being one of the greatest travelers of his time. Battuta’s descriptive account of his travels to East and West Africa in the fourteenth century provides important insight into African Islamic life at that point in time. Although Battuta and the peoples in black Africa shared the same religion, he comes to realize that sharing a religion is not enough to completely relate to a different group of people. The story of Ibn Battuta in Black Africa illustrates the difficulties he faced in relating to these peoples due to the non-traditional role of women, different religious customs, and frequent misinterpretation of situations.
There was also a great city in Mali called Timbuktu. It was very important because it was a center for trade and it aided the Muslim art and culture which helped to spread Islam.
“There is no god but Allah…” (41). This is what was taught to many African people during the emergence of the Islamic culture. Although many diverse religions existed before this emergence, Islam and its teachings spread quicker than people imagined. Its teachings were very formal and education-oriented. This was certainly evident through the emergence of Tiekoro, the son of Dousika Traore, who was the king’s most trusted advisor, but not a well-respected man. As Conde stated on page 41, Segu seemed like it became smaller everyday, as if it were an island surrounded by other countries, which have unfortunately lost the battle to Islam. Tiekoro, being a young man, realized these rapid changes in his society. He, unlike many other Bambaras, decided to convert to the majority, leaving the minority (his Bambara people) behind to ponder what their next choice will be.
The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.
Through day-to-day knowledge of what is happening in the world there is observable evidence that Islamic followers have employed different techniques to proclaim ‘power’. The techniques being employed are basically inflicting pain in the opponent by methods of kidnapping, hijackings, and recruiting members (such as Al-Qaeda in the Middle East) in order to make them a more powerful and a more appealing group in their societies. According to Mandaville, Islam is directly linked to politics (they cannot be separated); Muslims wanted to challenge new technological innovations as well as new institutions without forgetting about their religious values. Mandaville proclaims an important aspect of the Islamic religion. During the Ottoman Empire many Muslims gained important power and began to interact with Europeans in order to move into a more modern system; but times have changed.
The spread of Islam in Africa had taken course from a number of factors, including external and internal forces. After my analyzing of the spread of Islam in Africa, I have gather three main themes that stuck out during the expansion of Islam: Islam and trade, the conversion conditions of Islam, and the economics/political development involving Islam. These three themes provide great insight on how Islam started to spread through out Africa. Through trade the culture and religion of Islam was spread to many different areas. This correlates to the conversion of different people, which helped spread Islam. By these conversions Islam was able to establish Islamic states, which played a factor in the development of strong economic and political
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.