Mali - A Country of Historical and Current Significance
(click on the map for a larger image)

Mali is old enough to have rock paintings dating back to a time when the Sahara desert was covered in lush forest. Islam arrived in about the seventh century AD, shortly after the death of the Prophet Mohammed.

The largest country in West Africa, Mali is bordered by seven other states: Algeria lies to the north and northeast, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso to the southeast and, with the Ivory Coast, to the south. On the west are Senegal and Mauritania.

The first empire in the region was under Sundyata Keita whose influence, although at its height during the 13th to 15th centuries, is still obvious today. The best years of the first empire were under Mansa Moussa, from 1312 to 1337. He dominated the gold and salt trade, and the cities of Djenn� and Timbuktu became important trading centres for the whole of West Africa.

By the 15th century, the first empire was ending. It was followed by the Songhay empire, created by Askia Mohammed on the edge of the Sahara and the Niger River in northern Mali. At its height the second empire saw Timbuktu with a population of around 100,000 people, and the university had a student population of 25,000. This empire ended shortly after a Moroccan invasion in 1590.

The historic city of Timbuktu is the home of the first university in the world, and the city is located at the precise point where the Niger flows northward into the southern edge of the desert. The Niger is one of the principal rivers in Africa, providing food, water, and drainage for five nations of West Africa. Timbuktu and its surroundings currently house 700,000 manuscripts. These  manuscripts of are a living testimony of the highly advanced and refined civilization in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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