Eve of the Mali Empire's Rise

Timeline

1. 1161–1164Ghana Empire heartland · SahelThe Ghana Empire's control over southern gold mines and trade routes weakened; pressure from the Sosso Kingdom and internal succession disputes eroded its suzerainty, and the political center of the West African Sahel began shifting eastward from Ghana's old capital.
2. 1164–1167Koumbi Saleh · MandingManding clans formed new political alliances in the Niger basin, with local chiefdoms accumulating wealth through farming, herding, and gold trade, laying the social foundation for the later revolt against Sosso and the founding of Mali.
3. 1167–1170Timbuktu trade route · SahelGold and salt trade along trans-Saharan routes continued to flourish, new trade nodes emerged, and the economic center of gravity tilted toward the Manding region, creating the material preconditions for the Mali Empire's control of West Africa's gold exports in the 13th century.