Scientists are reporting for the first time that sculptors from the fantastically wealthy ancient Empire of Mali -- once the ... left on ancient African artifacts used in ceremonies involving ...

A heavy guilder’s tax was imposed on everything that passed through the empire, in or out. In four centuries, Mali expanded its territory, influence, and culture thanks to a well-trained imperial army ...

“Africans knew how to write before many outside Africa did,” said Andogoly Guindo, Mali’s minister of culture. “These manuscripts can throw light on part of Africa’s past.” But ...

11th century - Empire of Mali becomes dominant force in the upper ... historically important as a focal point of Islamic culture and a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route.