Mali Empire's Great Famine: When the Sahel Dried Up
The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In 1040 AH (1630 CE), the Niger River receded so far that children could wade across at Djenne. This episode explores how a multi-year drought and locust plague shattered the Mali Empire's hinterland, triggering a famine so severe that surviving oral traditions still speak of it with dread. Lucas and Luna trace the catastrophe through Tarikh al-Sudan's accounts, Ibn Battuta's earlier observations on Sahelian rainfall, and the ecological roots of Mali's decline. Along the way, they discuss the forgotten leadership of Mansa Mama Maghan (or Mansa Maghan III), whose futile rain-seeking missions to the jeliw and nyamakala reveal how drought strained not just grain reserves but the social contract between king and people. They also consider the role of the Dyula merchant networks in mitigating — and in some cases profiting from — the crisis. The episode ends with a meditation on how climate, not just conquest, shaped the fate of empires. #MaliEmpire #GreatFamine #Sahel #Djenne #NigerRiver #TarikhAlSudan #MansaMamaMaghan #Jeliw #Nyamakala #Dyula #IbnBattuta #Desertification #ClimateHistory #WestAfricanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Mande #Sahara Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
