History of Mali - Early History, C. 700 - 1591

1591

Mali's early history was dominated by three famed Western African empires-- Ghana, Mali or "Manden Kurufa", and Songhay. These empires controlled trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, and other precious commodities and were in touch with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern centers of civilization. All of the empires arose in the area then known as the western Sudan, a vast region of savanna between the Sahara Desert to the north and the tropical rain forests along the Guinean coast to the south. All were characterized by strong leadership and kin-based societies. None had rigid geopolitical boundaries.