Mali Gold Trade System

Timeline

1. 1200–1324Niani · MaliAfter conquering the old lands of Ghana, the Mali Empire controlled the southern gold mines; the mansa (emperor) monopolized the right to export gold, stipulating units of measurement for gold dust and transit taxes for caravans. Mansa Musa's 1324 hajj, during which he distributed gold, made Mali's gold famous throughout the Mediterranean and strengthened the empire's institutional control over the trade routes.
2. 1300–1350Timbuktu · MaliTimbuktu and Gao became hubs of the gold, salt, and slave trades; the Malian court appointed tariff officials (farimba) to supervise markets, collect transit taxes, and ensure caravan safety. Arab and Berber merchants needed imperial permission to transport gold across the Sahara, forming an important source of imperial revenue.
3. 1351–1360Gao · MaliAfter the death of Mansa Musa, central Malian authority weakened; local governors and caravan leaders negotiated on their own, and competition over trade interests in the Gao region intensified. Gold still crossed the Sahara to North Africa, but the empire's direct control of the mining regions and its capacity to collect tariffs declined markedly, and the trade system became increasingly localized.
4. 1360–1375Gao · MaliThe Songhai kingdom gradually broke free of Malian suzerainty, controlling the Gao trade routes and trade along the middle Niger. The Malian gold trade system existed in name only; dominance of Saharan gold transport shifted eastward to Songhai, creating the conditions for the Songhai Empire to replace Mali's hegemony in the 15th century.