gold and salt mines of Mali accounted for much of the country's wealth. Trade routes across the Sahara Desert connected the Mali Empire to Europe and the Middle East. Timbuktu, home to the famous ...

Mansa Musa ruled for the next 25 years and used Mali's military might to control the trade routes of the Sahara and the Niger River, greatly expanding the wealth and power of the empire.

Mali’s wealth was not only in its natural resources but also in its ability to control trans-Saharan trade routes. The empire’s economy was powered by its vast agricultural lands, as well as ...

Over centuries, Mali accumulated vast gold reserves. Additionally, the empire engaged in the trade of ivory ... gifted cities along his route (including Cairo and Medina), and traded gold for ...