jjares reviewed Mansa Musa and Timbuktu: A Fascinating History from Beginning to End on + 3270 more book reviews
This book makes an interesting point that while Europe was floundering in the 1300s (with war, plague, and famine), some of the African kingdoms and Islamic states were doing fine, thank you very much. This book concentrates on one such king -- Mansa Musa and his Mali Empire.
Mali was a powerful empire for three centuries. It is fascinating that one man could control such a large landmass with people of differing cultures, languages, ethnicities, and religions. One can look around in history and see how rarely this feat has been achieved.
Having recently read a book about salt and its importance in olden times, it is easy to see how the sale of salt would have helped Mansa Musa's empire become so wealthy. Salt, gold, and ivory were valuable commodities in abundance in Mali.
This book is clear in presenting the contributing factors that led to the decline in trade and fortune in Mali. The decline of the great caravans must have been a shock because they had predominated for generations. However, as Europeans used ships for trade (instead of the dangerous caravans), Mali slipped in importance. This book explains how Mali is such a poor country now, after such an illustrious past.
There are some features I really liked about this book and want to share them.
* There are thumbnail sketches of important tribes (and later) cities and mosques; these explain the significance of the text following.
* I particularly like to hear how the common folk lived and what cultural aspects were important to a people.
* Frequent section headings helped keep the story straight and on target.
* The listing of Mansa Masa's many accomplishments and legacy are useful for reference.
I heartily recommend this book for an amazingly short, but insightful study of Mansa Musa, Mali, and life on the African continent in the 1300s.
Mali was a powerful empire for three centuries. It is fascinating that one man could control such a large landmass with people of differing cultures, languages, ethnicities, and religions. One can look around in history and see how rarely this feat has been achieved.
Having recently read a book about salt and its importance in olden times, it is easy to see how the sale of salt would have helped Mansa Musa's empire become so wealthy. Salt, gold, and ivory were valuable commodities in abundance in Mali.
This book is clear in presenting the contributing factors that led to the decline in trade and fortune in Mali. The decline of the great caravans must have been a shock because they had predominated for generations. However, as Europeans used ships for trade (instead of the dangerous caravans), Mali slipped in importance. This book explains how Mali is such a poor country now, after such an illustrious past.
There are some features I really liked about this book and want to share them.
* There are thumbnail sketches of important tribes (and later) cities and mosques; these explain the significance of the text following.
* I particularly like to hear how the common folk lived and what cultural aspects were important to a people.
* Frequent section headings helped keep the story straight and on target.
* The listing of Mansa Masa's many accomplishments and legacy are useful for reference.
I heartily recommend this book for an amazingly short, but insightful study of Mansa Musa, Mali, and life on the African continent in the 1300s.
