← The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo History
Mansa Sulayman's Reign: The Forgotten Golden Age of Mali artwork

Mansa Sulayman's Reign: The Forgotten Golden Age of Mali

The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo History
S2 E7106:14
Play episode

Show notes

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Mansa Sulayman, brother of Mansa Musa, who ruled the Mali Empire from 1336 to 1360. Often overshadowed by his famous predecessor, Sulayman maintained Mali's wealth and power through careful administration, as recorded by the visiting scholar Ibn Battuta in 1352. Lucas unpacks Sulayman's governance, his conflict with his wife Queen Kassi, and his handling of the empire's trade networks. They also discuss the rebellion of the city of Takedda and Sulayman's controversial decision to execute a poet who mocked him. The episode sheds light on a stable but tense period in Mali's history, showing that even after Musa's legendary hajj, the empire remained a formidable force in West Africa. Key figures include Mansa Sulayman, Queen Kassi, Ibn Battuta, and the jeliw oral tradition. The discussion draws on Ibn Battuta's Rihla and the Tarikh al-Sudan to reconstruct Sulayman's legacy. #MansaSulayman #MaliEmpire #IbnBattuta #Rihla #QueenKassi #Takedda #TarikhAlSudan #WestAfrica #Jeliw #Niani #Mande #SaharaTrade #GoldSaltTrade #14thCentury #AfricanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #MedievalAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

More from this show

More
  1. Mali's Great Mosque and the Architect of Djenné

    While Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca is famous for crashing gold prices in Cairo, this episode turns our gaze toward the architectural legacy that remained. We explore the constr…

    S6 E27007:29
  2. Mali's Water Courts: Justice on the Niger River

    While we often hear about gold and pilgrimage, the Mali Empire’s true stability came from its judicial system. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the empire administered j…

    S6 E26906:55
  3. Mali’s Slave Revolts and the Rise of Sakura

    We often hear about Mansa Musa’s wealth, but Mali’s later years were defined by internal fracture. This episode explores the life of Sakura, a slave who rose to become Mansa and le…

    S6 E26809:27
  4. Mali's Gold Mines: Bambuk and the Wangara Trade

    We often hear that Mali was rich, but rarely do we explore exactly where that wealth came from or how it moved. In this episode, Lucas and Luna shift focus from the famous pilgrima…

    S6 E26708:58
  5. Mansa Sakura's Voyage to the Mediterranean

    After decades of episodes exploring Mali’s gold, its constitution, and Mansa Musa’s legendary pilgrimage, we finally turn our gaze to one of the empire’s most enigmatic rulers: Man…

    S6 E26609:01
  6. The Great Mali Census: Ibn Battuta's Shocking Discovery

    In 1352, the Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta arrived in Niani, the capital of the Mali Empire, expecting the grandeur he had heard about from earlier pilgrims. Instead, he found a ci…

    S6 E26506:57
Now Playing
The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo History — Mansa Sulayman's Reign: The Forgotten Golden Age of Mali | Podcast | Josplay Music