8.+Cities+of+Mali

= = =Cities of Mali - Backround info=

There were many great cities of Mali such as Niani, Walata, Gao, Timbuktu, and Jenne. Niani was the capital of the Malian Empire. Niani benefitted from its central location within Mali because of the multiple caravan trails that crossed through Niani. Over time, Niani became very developed and was known as a very wealthy city.

Niani Niani was a very important city of the Malain empire. An Arabian journalist described Niani as the "great metropole".Niani was the home of the royal emperor Mansa.

Other Main Cities The other main cities consisted of Walata, Gao, and Timbuktu. Walata was founded by the people who ran from Koumbi and after that, Walata replaced Koumbi as the entrance to Sudan. Gao, which was downstream on the Niger river, was to become the capital city of the Songhay empire. Timbuktu was a big trading site between the desert people and the river people who would meet in Timbuktu for trade. Timbuktu reached its peak during the times of the Songhay empire.

Jenne In addition to Mali's other major cities was the city of Jenne, which was smaller than the other ones. Jenne had many African scholars in their city. It was said that a lot of emperors would assault Jenne, but Jenne was set on keeping their own independence.