The truth about Mali of the games time period

[Dio]

There has been a very rabid and organized effort by Reddit historians in recent years to rewrite Mali as some sort of advanced, cultured nation that interacted with distant lands, but the truth is far from it.

Here is an excerpt from Arab traveler Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali:

"Sultan Mansa Sulayman was visited by a party of ...[non-Muslim] negro cannibals, including one of their [princes]. They have a custom of wearing in their ears large pendants, each pendant having an opening of half a span. They wrap themselves in silk mantles, and in their country there is a gold mine. The sultan received them with honour, and gave them as his hospitality-gift a servant, a negress. They killed and ate her, and having smeared their faces and hands with her blood came to the sultan to thank him. I was informed that this is their regular custom whenever they visit his court. Someone told me about them that they say that the choicest parts of women's flesh are the palm of the hand and the breast"

During his stay he witnessed several more women being eaten within the sultans court, and remarked that Malians did not react to it in any way, to them it was an ordinary sight for a slave girl to be eaten.
He also witnessed rampant cuckolding as it was apparently completely common for Malians to have sex with many others, despite being married. Both men and women did this regularly, and often in public places.
They also genitaIIy mutiIated all women.

Here are some examples of Malian architecture built during the time period of their great sultan Mansa Musa, the greatest mosques he had constructed:
https://i.imgur.com/iasUqPW.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/CqRUuxx.png

The "Great Mosque of Djenne" is falsely portrayed as a Mansa Musa era achievement by Reddit historians, but it was actually built around 1907 with the help of French people, the original building had been much smaller and had fallen to ruin and taken over by thousands of bird nests over Malians not performing any maintenance on it for centuries.
The modern version of it is not impressive either by any standards:
https://i.imgur.com/33B1bb1.jpeg

Here is the "Great Mosque of Djenne" before the French helped create the much larger and taller version:
https://i.imgur.com/IsKD09s.jpeg
Photo from 1893

You can watch the David Attenborough documentary Human Planet to see in one episode this Great Mosque of Djenne, and how the locals once a year have to apply fresh mud to every point of the entire constructs surface, since the entire thing is made out of mud, it actually begins cracking from sunlight and eventually the whole thing will crumble and collapse if mud is not regularly applied to it.

Here is Mansa Musa's glorious city of Timbuktu, 600 years after his death:
https://i.imgur.com/nxsaL8z.jpeg
A mere town of mud houses.

This was simply not the kind of people who had scholars, explorers or doctors. They had no one that could travel to other continents. They did not even have rudimentary cornerstone inventions of civilizations such as the boat, a written language or math.

A Malian scholar and explorer is pure DEI larp, a fantasy born out of political activists desire to invent a history for black people, because the truth is too uncomfortable if your goal is to trick people into accepting the entire world being turned into an extension of Africa.

[EDIT; ADDITION:]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Timbuktu
Due to repeated efforts of Afrocentric revisionists attempting to argue that Mali was a "great centre of learning, sciences and culture", notice the names of all the authors that wrote manuscripts and books in there.
They are ALL Berbers and Arabs. Every single one.
No native Malian scholars existed whatsoever, and no books exist by medieval Malian authors, no technological inventions or scientific discoveries were made by any Malian natives. Any contributions to the intellectual arts in Mali came from non-black foreigners who were staying there.
Whatever teaching happened in Mali, was North Africans and Arabs trying to educate tribal animists into becoming civilized people, and ultimately failing as the natives never became capable of producing knowledge or making discoveries on their own.

[Kain]

Oh and also

"Under Mansa Musa, Timbuktu became a center of learning, luxury, and trade. This was the place where the desert nomads met with the river people. Its universities and markets attracted people from other parts of Africa, southwest Asia, and even Europe. Mansa Musa brought back with him not only an Arabic library, but also religious scholars and the Muslim architect al-Sahili who would later build the great mosques at Gao and Timbuktu as well as a royal palace."

[Bordric]

Origineel geplaatst door Kain:

Origineel geplaatst door Bordric:

It was a slave nation and violent backwards empire. What accomplishments? None, what achievements, oh they enslaved more humans than all of the rest of the world. Guess that is one.

"According to the Arab historian al-Umari, Mansa Musa took with him 100 camel-loads of gold, each of which weighed 300 pounds. Seeing the immense wealth in Cairo inspired many stories about the glories of Timbuktu. In addition, the amount of gold which Mansa Musa brought to Egypt created inflation in the country. As a result of the hajj, Mali began appearing on the Map of the World in 1339."

Imagine bringing so much gold you cause inflation lol

Oh yeah they had the gold no doubt of that, I read that by maybe I think it 15th century 80% of all gold circulating in the Mediterranean was of Mali origin. That is MASSIVE

He also had 12000 slaves carrying his stuff and maybe couple for dinner if got slim.

[Bordric]

Origineel geplaatst door Kain:

Oh and also

"Under Mansa Musa, Timbuktu became a center of learning, luxury, and trade. This was the place where the desert nomads met with the river people. Its universities and markets attracted people from other parts of Africa, southwest Asia, and even Europe. Mansa Musa brought back with him not only an Arabic library, but also religious scholars and the Muslim architect al-Sahili who would later build the great mosques at Gao and Timbuktu as well as a royal palace."

All Arabic Mali had no written language.

[Dio]

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Origineel geplaatst door Dio:

Mali has lots of very rocky and mountaineous terrain, they could have easily created quarries, mined stone slabs and built actual stone houses, palaces and roads. But something was mysteriously handicapping them from doing this and limiting them to mud houses.

Then there are reasons...

You need to read more about Timbuktu rather than watching a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ video...

The reason is that they never invented tools needed to work in quarries or do stonemasonry. You know, one of the earliest human inventions all other peoples invented tens of thousands of years ago.

The only "university" they may have had was entirely operated by Arabs, teaching Malians two things:
1. How to read Arabic
2. Reading the Koran, which is a bunch of superstitious nonsense explanations for how the world works

This does not constitute as a university to any honest person or by any definitions used by actual civilizations. But sure, to reddit historians like you, blacks learning how the sun goes down at night because Allah puts his towel over it constitutes as university level education, lets go with that.

[Kain]

Also

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/african-history/the-mali-empire/#:~:text=The%20empire%20controlled%20important%20trade,the%20world%20at%20the%20time.

I know that the "black history month" there will cause seizures, but if you can use Ibn Batuta I'll use this.

"The Mali Empire was known for its wealth, which was largely derived from trade. The empire controlled important trade routes that connected West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean world. Gold, salt, and other commodities were traded along these routes, making the Mali Empire one of the wealthiest in the world at the time.

The Mali Empire was also known for its vibrant culture and scholarship. The city of Timbuktu, which was located in the heart of the empire, became a major center of Islamic scholarship and learning, and was home to many universities and madrasas. Timbuktu was also known for its libraries, which contained thousands of manuscripts on a wide range of subjects, including science, mathematics, medicine, and literature."

And if it's a lie, I'm fine with it. Just province sources confirming it.

[Sgt. Flaw]

Origineel geplaatst door Dio:

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Then there are reasons...

You need to read more about Timbuktu rather than watching a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ video...

The reason is that they never invented tools needed to work in quarries or do stonemasonry. You know, one of the earliest human inventions all other peoples invented tens of thousands of years ago.

Lol na dude....that's a joke...Egyptians would have shown them if they didn't know how for their gold...

That's ♥♥♥♥ makes 0 sense

[Kain]

Origineel geplaatst door Bordric:

Origineel geplaatst door Kain:

Oh and also

"Under Mansa Musa, Timbuktu became a center of learning, luxury, and trade. This was the place where the desert nomads met with the river people. Its universities and markets attracted people from other parts of Africa, southwest Asia, and even Europe. Mansa Musa brought back with him not only an Arabic library, but also religious scholars and the Muslim architect al-Sahili who would later build the great mosques at Gao and Timbuktu as well as a royal palace."

All Arabic Mali had no written language.

Nah it's fine. Most languages in many countries are derived from somewhere and mixed together. It's part of how it's developed.

[Bordric]

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Origineel geplaatst door Dio:

The reason is that they never invented tools needed to work in quarries or do stonemasonry. You know, one of the earliest human inventions all other peoples invented tens of thousands of years ago.

Lol na dude....that's a joke...Egyptians would have shown them if they didn't know how for their gold...

That's ♥♥♥♥ makes 0 sense

No Mali is perfect example of unbalanced civilization.

[Sgt. Flaw]

Origineel geplaatst door Bordric:

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Lol na dude....that's a joke...Egyptians would have shown them if they didn't know how for their gold...

That's ♥♥♥♥ makes 0 sense

No Mali is perfect example of unbalanced civilization.

Again 0 sense

Egypt would had that ♥♥♥♥ glistening if the terrain allowed it....

[Kain]

Origineel geplaatst door Dio:

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Then there are reasons...

You need to read more about Timbuktu rather than watching a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ video...

The reason is that they never invented tools needed to work in quarries or do stonemasonry. You know, one of the earliest human inventions all other peoples invented tens of thousands of years ago.

Don't know man


"Crafts

Iron was abundant and smiths manufactured farming tools and weapons. Shoemaker clans resided in the south. In the north weaving flourished, owing to cotton fields in regions such as Casamance, and the Soninke and Takrur peoples specially dyed their cloths indigo. Siaki (goldsmiths) were honoured."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Empire

Their armies also sported iron weapons and armor.

[Bordric]

Origineel geplaatst door Kain:

Origineel geplaatst door Bordric:

All Arabic Mali had no written language.

Nah it's fine. Most languages in many countries are derived from somewhere and mixed together. It's part of how it's developed.

Sure but they never went forward pretty much regressed. Point is there was no Traveling Scholar in Bohemia from Mali. Not even in the Biggest WetDream of DEI Cult.

[Bordric]

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Origineel geplaatst door Bordric:

No Mali is perfect example of unbalanced civilization.

Again 0 sense

Again you make no sense why are you in this discussion?

[Dio]

Origineel geplaatst door Kain:

Oh and also

"Under Mansa Musa, Timbuktu became a center of learning, luxury, and trade. This was the place where the desert nomads met with the river people. Its universities and markets attracted people from other parts of Africa, southwest Asia, and even Europe. Mansa Musa brought back with him not only an Arabic library, but also religious scholars and the Muslim architect al-Sahili who would later build the great mosques at Gao and Timbuktu as well as a royal palace."

Are you actually expecting us to be impressed that Musa imported Arabic books from Arabic countries, instead of his people developing a written language and writing books themselves? And we went over those "Great mosques", they are in my OP image links. They look like orc breeding hives or ant hills. They look like Saruman is digging Uruk Hai out of the mud inside there.

[Kain]

Origineel geplaatst door Sgt. Flaw:

Origineel geplaatst door Dio:

The reason is that they never invented tools needed to work in quarries or do stonemasonry. You know, one of the earliest human inventions all other peoples invented tens of thousands of years ago.

Lol na dude....that's a joke...Egyptians would have shown them if they didn't know how for their gold...

That's ♥♥♥♥ makes 0 sense

Pretty much, they were an empire that lasted centuries placed on the most important African trade route of the time which also reached the Mediterranean Sea.

And they did that protecting themselves with rocks and sticks? Wut.

[OSHZAK]

Origineel geplaatst door Bordric:

Origineel geplaatst door OSHZAK:

In sum, the Mali Empire was a thriving, sophisticated civilization that played a crucial role in global trade, culture, and scholarship. Attempts to diminish its accomplishments rely on selective readings of sources, a lack of historical context, and an unwillingness to engage with the extensive evidence of its achievements.

It was a slave nation and violent backwards empire. What accomplishments? None, what achievements, oh they enslaved more humans than all of the rest of the world. Guess that is one.

Your assertion that the Mali Empire was "a slave nation and a violent backwards empire" ignores the extensive evidence of its significant contributions to global history, culture, and economy. While slavery was unfortunately a part of many premodern societies including European and Middle Eastern empires reducing the Mali Empire solely to this aspect is a gross oversimplification and fails to acknowledge its broader achievements.

The Mali Empire was a key player in the trans Saharan trade, facilitating the exchange of gold, salt, and other goods across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. At its height, Mali controlled nearly half of the world's known gold reserves. Its wealth was so immense that Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca famously disrupted the economies of regions he visited by flooding them with gold.

Timbuktu, a city within the Mali Empire, was a renowned center of learning. The University of Sankore housed thousands of manuscripts on diverse subjects, including mathematics, astronomy, law, and medicine. These contributions to intellectual life contradict the claim that the empire was "backwards." Mali was also a hub of cultural exchange, blending African, Islamic, and local traditions. Its architecture, art, and music influenced regions far beyond its borders.

The Mali Empire was highly organized, with a sophisticated system of governance that included legal codes and a bureaucracy. This structure helped maintain its stability and facilitated trade and cultural exchange. Its influence extended beyond Africa, as its wealth, culture, and scholarship were known and respected throughout the Islamic world and Europe, as documented by historians like Ibn Battuta and al Umari.

The claim that the Mali Empire "enslaved more humans than the rest of the world" is factually incorrect. While slavery existed, the transatlantic slave trade driven by European powers centuries later was far more extensive and brutal. It's vital to study history with nuance and avoid cherry picking negative aspects to dismiss an entire civilization's legacy.

Dismissing the Mali Empire as "violent and backwards" reflects a narrow and distorted perspective that fails to engage with the extensive historical evidence of its achievements.