Category: Leader

Everyone’s life is an exploration of investigating relationships and loyalty. Loyalty can be shown through devotion, dependency, or honesty to other individuals or things. Everyone is loyal to something, whether it be their religion, significant other, political views, or a leader. Inscribed in Matthew 6:24 it is written, “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other”. This precisely describes one’s loyalty to a figure or individual who is recognized as a leader or role model. It is through the prism of loyalty illustrated in ‘The Odyssey’ through its main character, Odysseus, that I am going to prove that he can still be considered a good leader. During his journey, Odysseus must overcome his anger for distinct individuals and control valuable communication with his crew to gain loyalty from his crew. During his expedition home, he must show his gratitude towards others and grasp knowledge from his mistakes to gain loyalty from his crew. Throughout the story, Odysseus shows arrogance towards others which results in unstable relationships. He often does not inform his crew of important information, an example being the bag of wind, and often conducts immature actions that demean his role of being a heroic leader. But, to gain his shipmates’ loyalty, Odysseus demonstrates determination towards his crew’s arrival home, even when wanting to give up, he uses his resources and cleverness to keep his crew alive when in danger and shows his bravery when his crew requires a leader like himself.

During the journey to their success, Odysseus and his crew were dependent on each other. Both show compassion towards each other’s safety and demand to protect one another. One case is when they must pass through the sirens. These sirens conduct beautiful music that lures listeners to their death. In protection of his crew, Odysseus uses his sword to slice an ample of beeswax and continues to knead it with his hands until it becomes soft. Homer explains Odysseus’ heroic act to the readers by saying: “I stopped by the ears of my comrades one by one” (12. 193). Odysseus’ compassion for keeping his crew free from harm is shown when he uses beeswax to plug his crew’s ears. If it was not for Odysseus’ brilliance leading to the act which would save his crew’s lives, Odysseus and his crew would never have arrived home. This act shows how Odysseus not only uses the absorption of his surroundings to help his crew survive but is always looking out for his crew at all moments.

Also, Odysseus, as a good leader, conducts ideas and plans with his crew to survive or escape obstacles they intervene with. As Odysseus and his crew progress on their journey home, they explore a newly found land which they arrived on. As they investigate the island, they come across a cave with an abundance of cheese and wine, along with lambs, laid aside. Although the crew understands that they are not theirs, they welcome themselves to these ‘gifts’, thus resulting in an inadequate relationship with the cave owner, Polyphemus. The epic poem shows the tension felt between the crew and Polyphemus quoting: “‘Stranger’, he grumbled back from his brutal heart,/ ‘you must be a food, stranger, or come from nowhere,/ telling me to fear the gods or avoid their wrath!/ We Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus’s shield/ of storm and thunder, or any other blessed god/- we’ve got more force by far’” (9. 306-311). As Polyphemus’ anger starts to worsen and he threatens to eat all of Odysseus’ men, Odysseus makes a plan to get him drunk and wait until he falls asleep. After Polyphemus is asleep, then the crew will stab him in the eye, leaving a broad time for the crew to escape safely. It is through this plan that the crew can survive the Cyclops. If Odysseus was not to conduct the idea of harming the Cyclops, several crewmates or his entire crew could have died. It takes a good leader, like himself, to not only assemble a plan but to execute it so rapidly. All must say, Odysseus’ wittiness and solicitude for his crew lead to their survival in a battle fought with Polyphemus, a man who was larger than any. Adding to Odysseus’ ideas and plans and the use of resources around him, Odysseus will save his men even if able to move forward without them.

In the epic poem, Odysseus must save his crew from the lotus-eaters. The lotus-eaters are perceived as innocent and unharmful, yet offer Odysseus and crew members lotus. Homer describes the effects of the lotus stating: “Any crewmen who ate the lotus, the honey-sweet fruit,/ lost all desire to send a message back, much less return,/ their only wish to linger there with the Lotus-eaters,/ grazing on lotus, all memory of the journey home/ dissolved forever” (9. 106-110). After Odysseus and his crew share the passion to arrive home, for the first time, it is just Odysseus who wants to continue their journey. Although his crew may urge him to stay on the island with them, Odysseus knows the importance they felt for arriving home. Therefore, Odysseus proceeds to capture his crew and return them to the ship. The epic poem describes Odysseus rescuing his crew announcing: “But I brought them back, back/ to the hollow ships, and streaming tears-I forced them,/ hauled them under the rowing benches, lashed them fast/ and shouted out commands to my other, steady comrades:/ ‘Quick, no time to lose, embark in the racing ships!’/- so none could eat the lotus, forget the voyage home” (9. 110-117). Odysseus could have left his crew members behind and continued his journey with those crewmates who remained. But instead, like a true leader, he took action to reunite his entire crew safely and hope for an arrival home for all.

As the story carries on, Odysseus shows his fondness for his crew and how he will stop at no end to maintain his crew’s safety. This is shown through the ideas and plans he enforces his use of components supplied around him and his refusal to leave a man behind. In addition to Odysseus using his cleverness to keep his crew alive, he demonstrates determination towards their arrival. When Odysseus is overpowered by frustration, he reconstructs it into motivation for his crew and himself. In particular, when Ithaca is in sight, greed overcomes Odysseus’ crew as they inspect the bag of wind Odysseus’ was given. Unknown to the truth, the crew concludes that there is gold inside the bag, and Odysseus does not plan on sharing it. The epic poem says: “Hurry, let’s see what loot is in the sack, /how much gold and silver, Break it open-now!” (10. 49-50). As the crew proceeds to open the bag, a gust of wind is released, pushing them back to the beginning of their journey. Instead of Odysseus exhibiting hatred towards his crew, he uses his determination and perseverance to guide his crew home. Odysseus learns to accept the long journey that lies ahead and uses it as an excuse to work harder and faster.

Additionally, Odysseus deserves loyalty due to his abrupt and agile decision-making, impacting his crew’s arrival home. Further, into the epic poem, it explains how Odysseus confronts Circe asking for advice on his crew’s journey home. Circe informs him of the challenges he will face, one specifically being Scylla. She notifies him of the choice he must make, losing all of his men or sacrificing 6 to the monster of the sea, Scylla. Odysseus reaches Scylla, the epic poem explains his decision stating: “But now, fearing death, all eyes fixed on Charybdis-/ now Scylla snatched six men from our hollow ship” (12. 264-265). Although the poem focuses on Odysseus and his journey home, both Odysseus and his crew share the priority of arriving home and seeing their family. Therefore, Odysseus respects both wishes and makes the wise choice allowing his crew to continue to embark on their journey home.

Also, throughout the story, Odysseus shows gratitude towards his peers in the mind of avoiding potential enemies. It is often thought that Odysseus’ determination for his arrival home may not be truthful all the time. Some may think so because Odysseus tells Alcinous, “If you would urge me now to stay here one whole year/then speed me home weighed down with lordly gifts,/ I’d gladly have it so” (11. 404-407). This often positions readers into thinking that Odysseus’ longing for home is not as strong as he reveals, as he gladly states that he would spend another year and then arrive home to his family and reclaim his kingdom. Despite the willingness in Odysseus’ voice as he states his acceptance of blissfully staying at Alcinous’ island another year if offered, Odysseus must show gratitude towards individuals he meets along his journey to keep favorable relationships. Odysseus’ stable relationships with others, provide him protection from enemies when in need and individuals to supply advice and resources. Therefore, as a good leader, Odysseus deserves loyalty from his crew because he shows determination for his crew’s arrival home by showing gratitude generating secure relationships, completing impactful decisions in the thought of his crew, and transforming his frustration into motivation.

As Odysseus perceives this epic hero, he is known as he must show his bravery even if being forced. Odysseus will harm others resulting in his crew and himself being unharmed. Many times throughout the story, Odysseus’ crew is put at risk. Odysseus being the leader must escape all enemies or dangerous events, even if that means wounding the source of the threat. For instance, the epic poem says: “So we seized our stake with its fiery tip/ and bored it round and round in the giant’s eye/ till blood came boiling up around that smoking shaft/ and the hot blast singed his brow and eyelids round the core/ and the broiling eyeball burst” (9. 433-437). As shown, when Odysseus’ crew was harmed by the Cyclops, they came together and planned revenge knowing it would result in an opportunity to escape. It was through Odysseus’ bravery that the crew was able to survive the Cyclops and continue their journey home. If one were to have a leader who lacked bravery, it would have been harder for a crew to survive an obstacle like this.

As the story progresses, Odysseus learns from his mistakes brought upon his crew and changes his actions. Some might say Odysseus’ bravery was challenged when Circe transforms his crew into swine and decides to leave his crew behind and continue his journey home. Although this may be true, Odysseus embraces the knowledge from his mistake and returns to his crew members shortly after. As the epic poem expresses Odysseus leaving the island: “I must be off. Necessity drives me on./ Leaving the ship and shore, I headed inland,/ clambering up through hushed, entrancing glades” (10. 300-310). It was moments after that Odysseus realized the importance of his loyalty to his crew and proceeded to return and save them from their inhuman bodies. Even though Odysseus made the mistake of leaving his crew behind, nevertheless he returned to his crew and had them transformed back to their original presence. Odysseus decides to set aside his loyalty to his wife and sleep with Circe in return for his crew’s freedom of both her power and their inhuman bodies.

Not only does Odysseus put his loyalty to his crew before others, but puts his crew’s survival before himself. As stated previously, after Odysseus and his crew are found feasting on Polyphemus’ food and tensions rise between each other, Odysseus must find a way out of the cave before any deaths occur. Odysseus proceeds to inflict the eye on the Cyclops, knowing it will damage his eyesight and expecting the Cyclops to exit the cave, allowing his crew a path to safety. Unexpectedly, anger aroused within the Cyclops as he started to pick up and eat crew members instead of exiting the cave. Odysseus had seconds to think of a second plan to escape or else everyone would be dead. As the epic poem describes Odysseus conducting his plan: “So three beasts to bear each man, but as for myself?/ There was one bellwether ram, the prize of all the flock,/ and clutching him by his back, tucked him under/ his shaggy belly, there I hung, face upward/ both hands locked in his marvelous deep fleece,/ clinging for dear life, my spirit steeled, enduring…/ So we held on, desperate, waiting for Dawn’s first light” (9. 481-485). Odysseus uses the cattle as a disguise for his crew members, as they are fleeing the cave. As explained, when Odysseus reaches his turn to cover himself and escape, there is only one cattle left to protect him. Although Odysseus could have been selfish and saved more lambs, knowing there wouldn’t be enough for him, he provides each crew member with his 3 lambs. At the moment, Odysseus does not hesitate or allow his fear to show but rather shows his braveness by covering himself best to his ability and hoping for a safe escape. Odysseus’ braveness does indeed allow him and most of his crew members to survive and continue their journey home. Given these points, not only has Odysseus’ bravery increased their survival rate but also motivated and brought everyone closer together. Odysseus’ bravery has shown his men what a strong leader looks like and built them to become one.

Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, Odysseus claims victories through encounters with antagonists and obstacles. As Odysseus’ enemies placed troubles along their path, Odysseus’ bravery was brought forth and helped provide a beneficial leader to his crew. As his journey progresses and mistakes are made, he learns to transform his frustration into motivation. Although some may say that he constructs this thought based purely on keeping his epic hero title, many will beg to differ. Compassion for his crew is developed and becomes stronger as time passes. Odysseus becomes determined to keep his crew alive, after everything they have given and helped him with. Odysseus’ journey home will allow readers to see one example of how an individual must change and develop through their lives, as we will at some point.

Considering Napoleon in the light of French history, the debate about who he was after all – a tyrant or a hero – is more relevant than ever. Contrary to what most people think of him as a tyrant, I see him as a hero.

I believe that Napoleon was a national hero and was a big success for France mainly because he was brilliant, was a good general, and was always learning. One element of Napoleon’s character was his splendor. He could deal with numerous subjects without a moment’s delay. He could manage letter after letter to his secretaries, on a wide assortment of themes, regularly without halting to think. He could likewise compartmentalize his brain. Even with a distressing effort, he could put the current circumstance behind him and ponder another different issue. This additionally enabled him to capitalize on his time. He had a huge limit with respect to work, now and then laboring for a few days with for all intents and purposes no rest.

Napoleon had a gigantic memory for delicateness. It is connected that during the Crusade of 1805, one of his authorities couldn’t find his division. As his associates looked through their maps and papers to discover the area, the sovereign told it them from memory, where it would be situated during the following three days, alongside the quality and status of every unit.

Another element of Napoleon’s character was his ability to always learn new things. The main normal for Napoleon is that he was constantly consistently improving himself and obtaining information that would help him in the future. When he was younger, he was a big peruser, examining history, science, and theory. He mostly appreciated the old works of art. When he was arranging a military battle, he would pursue books about the spot in which he would work. Considering the nation’s history, geology, and culture improved him to arrange for whatever he would experience and helped him to evade mistakes that past officers had made. He was likewise a generally excellent questionnaire. He was not hesitant to show his obliviousness if the individual he was addressing could illuminate him.

Napoleon was also a hero for many other reasons. He had acquired a very disturbed social and political circumstance in post-revolutionary France and figured out how to totally turn it around in a time of coming to control. He executed numerous dynamic changes in France and he won. These changes included religious toleration and armed force. He figured out how to accomplish something no other French ruler could and had the option to accomplish for an extremely long amount of time. After Napoleon’s destruction, Europe came back to the established government. He is a saint in light of the fact that under his standard France turned into a politically influential nation to be figured with. Since has France been more prominent or seen more splendid triumphs than under Napoleon? Napoleon’s military capacity is the stuff of legend.

When asked whom he thought about the best chief of the age, Napoleon stated: “In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon”. Napoleon was an amazing strategist, winning most of the fights he battled. Napoleon rose to control through his capacity and ability. He searched for capacity and ability in the people around him. He couldn’t have cared less whether an individual was of a typical or noble foundation, as long as they were great at what they did. He accepted that anybody could accomplish anything they needed. Also, his officials and fighters trusted it as well, Napoleon himself really was a prime model.

Basically, Napoleon was a very strong ruler who completely changed France for the better. That’s why I personally think he was a real hero, not a tyrant.

Mahatma Gandhi was respected among political leaders because of his ability to act with nonviolence and draw a crowd. He fought against the empirical British rule of India. Gandhi was born in India in 1869, and by the early 1910s, was on his way to becoming one of the most respected leaders in history. He was working as a lawyer in South Africa when he experienced racial injustice that would change his direction in life. While riding a train, he was harassed for being in first class, even with a ticket. He refused to move back on the train and was thrown off. After this day he vowed to spend his life fighting for the people who suffer unjustly from racial discrimination. In 1897, he fought to bring awareness to the legislature preventing Indians from voting in South Africa. In 1906, Gandhi created a massive group of followers for demonstrations of nonviolent public disobedience to protest a South African law that was passed, which stripped Hindus of marital rights.

In 1919, Gandhi drew together a crowd of peaceful protesters, protesting the British unjust incrimination against Indians In India. Gandhi was a great leader because of his ability to bring people together. His speeches gave his followers hope. He used his large following to call for boycotts and protests, weakening Britain’s grasp on Indian society. He displayed his commitment by showing the people they didn’t need to rely on the British government. This was done by making his clothes, with a spinner, and giving up his medal of honor. The spinner became the sign of Indian Nationalism. He utilized his dedicated following to call for boycotts and protests, weakening Britain’s grasp on Indian society, and India’s reliance on the British. Ghandi was an impactful and smart leader, who utilized his followers and message to help him on his mission of peace.

Martin Luther King and Gandhi used their power in similar ways. Similarly to Gandhi, Martin Luther King experienced racism first hand at a young age. Dr. King attended segregated schools his whole life. He was raised religious and later became a minister himself. His and the church’s values did not line up with the treatment of black people in the United States. He dreamed about equality and peace, but his dreams were always shut down by violence and racism towards African Americans. After the the segregation of simple things like water fountains and public transportation, Martin Luther King initiated a bus boycott to show the community his opposition to unjust laws. This brave act of leading civil disobedience showed the world he had what it took to bring hope and structure to a seemingly endless struggle in the United States. Martin Luther King became the leader of the civil rights movement in the United States. He engaged his followers in his mission with his speeches and rallies. He was another extremely respected and remembered leader, who changed the course of history in his country. Though he struggled against sometimes violent opposition, he kept his priorities of peace and nonviolence in mind. He gained further stature after his “I Have A Dream” speech to over 250 thousand people. MLK and Gandhi shared beliefs in peace, and both used their position in the community to hold huge rallies and marches to protest inequality. They both had visions of making peace and solidarity a reality.

The government in Europe wasn’t stable in the fourteenth century. The government didn’t know how to handle the current situation and just went along with time and was practically improvised. The Roman Catholic Church had control of the European Government during the 14th century.The plague infected everyone, soon high-ranking church officials began contracting the plague, and as these people were supposed to be close to god, this weakened people’s faith in the Roman Catholic Church, leading to an unstable government. Since the plague was considered an act of God, the people began to pray and when the prayer did not work, the Europeans turned their backs on the church and also the government. Many government officials were infected with the plague, leading to a disordered government.

In this century the Black Plague affected the economy of Europe as a whole. At the time the economy of Europe was based on commerce and agriculture. People have decided to avoid areas where contact was made with others. Because of the fear of contracting this infectious disease, places that depended on trade later had economic problems, market places and trade areas were avoided. Places such as seaports were major hotspots for this disease since they came from different areas, these cities which contained seaports often had a large number of people infected which affected the economy because people were unable to work and merchants and traders were left with no merchandise due to the plague. The number of deaths started to increase because of the plague, which left many jobs to be undone. This affected the economy as nobody worked and it became difficult to get goods and grow goods. The prices for importing goods and even obtaining them locally started to rise enormously. All of these circumstances have caused inflation for the European economy.

In Europe, due to the Balck Plague, the social system changed. This plague had affected everyone no matter what social class they belonged to. During this century, Europe’s classification of society was based on a feudal system. When the plague began to hit Europeans began to die which left the number of workers to be scarce. The social class known as peasants had the upper hand because now they could offer themselves to work at whatever price they wanted. When one lord refused their conditions, the peasants would go and seek for work elsewhere, where their conditions could be met. Also, due to the plague there where more job opportunities and the peasants had gained more money than the social classes had practically been dissolved. When the Black Plague hit Europe, Christians began to blame Jews for this. Jews were blamed and accused of poisoning wells, which was the suspected reason why Jews were not being affected as much compared to everyone else. Later, Jews began to be persecuted and then they began to be massacred in April of 1348.

In the 14th century, the Ottoman empire began to expand. During this time the Ottoman Empire took advantage of the weakened frontier defense of the Byzantine Empire, this began under the rule of Osman and continued with his successors Orhan, Murad I in which they took control over Byzantine territories, starting with western Anatolia and then in southeastern Europe. In 1324, Orhan captured Bursa which provided the means to develop the administrative, economic, and military power in order to convert the principality into a real state and to establish an army. He began a military policy, which was later expanded by his successors, which involved the employment of Christian mercenary troops. Later, Orhan was able to take control of the remaining towns of the Byzantine Empire in northwestern Anatoliawhich were: Uskudar and Izmit. In 1345, Orhan took control of Karasi gaining control over the area in between the Gulf of Edremit and Kapidagi, later reaching the Sea Marmara. Orhan was then forced to end the monopoly in the city of Aydin, which provided mercenary troops to the Byzantine factions Thrace and Constantinople. When Aydin collapsed following the death of its ruler left the Ottomans to rule the ghazis alone against the Byzantines. The Ottomans began to raid parties that moved through Gallipoli into Thrace, which strengthened the power of the Ottoman Empire. Murad I son of Orhan’s was the first emperor of the Ottoman Empire to use Gallipoli as a place for conquests in Europe. The conquests extended to the north part of Thrace, which led to the capturing of Adrianople in 1362 the last city of the Byzantince Empire. Adrianople, later renamed Edirne, became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire which provided the Ottomans with a center of administrative and military control in Thrace. In 1363, Murad I moved through the Maritsa River valley and took control of Philippopolis.

The economy of the Ottoman Empire was based on different things. When Constantinople was conquered it not only became the political and military capital but because of its location and its connection to Europe, Africa, and Asia it allowed for trade. Also, another key city was Bursa, which was the center for silk trade. In these cities things like: silk and other cloths, porcelain, and spices.Ships often carried furs,grains, and amber from the Black Sea and south of Russia.They also placed taxes on almost every transaction that was made, the government required businesses to have a license. The Ottomans did not have much land to farm but the empire did have many rivers, and they would grow crops near these rivers. The Ottomans cultivated crops such as wheat, rye, and barley.

In the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire practiced Devshirme which was that children were recruited from the Balkan Christian subjects. The Ottoman soldiers would take Christian boys from ages 8 to 20 in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. These Christian boys were then forced to convert to Islam, with a primary objective to selcet and train the best children for military service for the empire. The children were taught to read and write, and they were trained in Islamic sciences, warfare and bureaucratic administration, which led to become advisors for the sultan, and generals in the army. This practice started in the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Murad I, and was used as a means to counteract the power of the Turkish nobility. These boys were placed in schools funded by the government and the goal of this was to produce men who were of academic excellence, obedient, and who had high moral standings. These boys are actually slaves of the government, but it was considered an honor to be selected and to have their children admitted into the Devshirme. Some families even went as far as to volunteer their kids to be a part of this and they even smuggled their kids so that they could be part of this system because of the opportunities that were provided. This was considered a “blood tax” by Balkan Christian families, this system was used to keep the Balkans in place.

The Mali Empire was an empire in West Africa and was known for its wealth as well as for Mansa Musa. Mansa Musa was the first ruler of the Mali Empire to be a devoted Muslim. When Mansa Musa took control the Europeans were struggling because of civil wars and lack of resources. In the 14th century the Mali Empire grew due to the trade of gold and salt. The empire extended from a portion of West Africa to Timbuktu as well as parts of the Sahara desert, but it wasn’t until 1324 that places out of the borders of Mali would experience the riches of the empire. When cities were conquered by the empire, there were different people placed in the government. There were different positions at local levels, in order to keep some sort of balance,but there were also positions as governors, these people that held government positions in these provinces had to collect taxes as well as make sure that people did not disobey orders. Mansa Musa was a lenient ruler, even though he was a devoted Muslin he still tried to encourage people to adopt Islam.

The Mali Empire economy was predominantly based on trade tax, salt, and gold. Economically, the empire ruled by Mansa Musa had reached its peak in the beginning, but on his hajj to Mecca, Mansa Musa began giving gold to the poor people he met along the way. He traveled with sumptuous goods like Persian silk and gold. Besides going to Mecca, Mansa Musa also went to Cairo, which was then ruled by a sultan from Mamluk. Mansa Musa had flooded Cairo’s streets with so much gold that it led to both gold inflation and the Mali Empire bankruptcy. Another importance of the Mali Empire’s economy was salt. Salt was traded on the Sub-Saharan Trade Route and was often more precious than gold. Salt was a commodity due to the small deposits of minerals that occur naturally in West Africa. It was transported by camel caravans and later by boat along rivers such as Niger and Senegal, and found its way into places like Koumbi Saleh, Niani, and Timbuktu. Salt was later traded for various commodities such as ivory, copper, and iron, but the most frequent trade was salt for gold dust produced by mines in southern West Africa. The Sub-Saharan salt trade had been dominated by the Mali Empire when the Ghana Empire collapsed.

The Mali Empire had different ethnicities that included various cultural groups and religions.In the empire muslims had roles as advisors and counselors, even though the founder of the empire was no muslim himself the kings of the empire became muslim by 1300. One of the most famous Muslim kings was Mansa Musa. Mansa Musa attempted to make Islam a faith in which the people followed, but he did not insist that the people changed their religion. He had made Sankore an Islamic school, which allowed for the establishment of links with other places of Islamic learning, in which these places exchanged students and teachers. Mansa Musa even went as far as doing a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. The Delhi Sultanate still ruled during this century. The Khalji Sultanate was still ruling before 1320 and its last ruler was Khusro Khan, who was Hindu and was forcibly converted to Islam and then served as a general in the army for the Delhi Sultanate. Together with Malik Kafur, Khan had served and led military campaigns on behalf of Alauddin Khalji to expand the Sultanate and get rid of non-Muslim Kingdoms. When Alauddin Khalji died in 1316, Khusro Khan succeeded in assassinating Alauddin Khalji’s son who left him in 1320 to assume the throne.Khusro Khan lacked the support of the dynasty’s nobles and aristocrats, after an aristocrat in Delhi invited Ghazi Malik to lead a coup to dethrone Khusro Khan. Malik launched an attack on Khuro Khan in 1320, and Ghazi Malik took power in 1320. When Ghazi Malik assumed power, he decided to rename himself Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, starting with the Tughlaq Dynasty. In 1321 and 1323, he sent a campaign to Warangal and defeated Pratap Rudra Deva II, adding the land to the Sultanate of Delhi.Later a war occurred in Bengal, then the Sultan attacked Bengal allowing him to take control of the state. Ghiyasuddin died in 1325 and his son Ulugh Juna Khan, renaming himself Muhammad ibn Tughlaq became the Sultan. He tried to get the ulama and sufis to follow after him when he became a sultan but he failed. When he failed to get the ulama on his side, he decided to make them equal to other citizens, to reduce the amount of power they had. To stabilize his authority, Muhammad ibn Tughlaq had wanted the Sufis on his side. He had tried to get the Sufis to join him but they refused to get involved with the government.They still refused to help him though he oppressed them so he got rid of them by dispersing them from northern Indian towns. Muhammed ordered a transfer of the capital from Delhi to Deogir in 1327, this transfer failed as an administrative measure but helped in cultural means. In 1329-1330 the Karajil expedition was an attempt to adjust a boundary dispute with the northern hill states which were dominated by China at the time, ended terribly, but then continued by an exchange of envoys between Delhi and China. The conquest of Nagarkot in the Himalayas in northwestern India was in order to establish Muhammad’s policy of secure frontiers. 1351 marked Muhammad ibn Tughlaqs last expedition in which he died at Sonda in Sindhi. After the death of Muhammad in 1351, Firuz Shah Tughlaq became Sultan.

Under the rule of Muhammad ibn Tughlaq there were man shifts so he decided to introduce coins into the economy. He introduced bronze coins that were valued the same as silver coins. Later, groups began to mould coins behind the government, therefore this did not become very effective and the coins started to lose original value. The economy of the Tughlaq Dynasty was primarily on the taxes that were being instituted in different areas. Taxes were raised in Doab from five percent to ten percent. During the rule of Alauddin Khalji, he reduced the price on stock for food,slaves, as well as other necessities at the time. The markets were also divided into four different types, one for grain, the second one for imported goods, another one for the slave and animal market, and the last one for the global market system.

Shihāb ad-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Faḍl Allāh al-ʿUmarī, also known as Al-Umari was a Syrian scholar. He was born in Damascus in 1301, June 12th. “Umar” in his name can be understood as the origin of his family and shows that they were from the second Islamic caliph. Al-Umari was part of a bureaucratic family, and his father was head of a chancery. Al-Umari started working as an assistant to his father, but he was the overly independent and free person to work in public services. That is the reason why, in 1337, he was discharged from office and sent to prison. He was released in 1339. After the death of his father, Al-Umari had one more chance to work on his position. But in 1342, Al-Umar was again displaced by his brother. After all this thing, Al-Umar started his career as a writer and scholar, and he spent his remaining life in the search for knowledge.

Usually, Al-Umar’s writings were used to rule territories of the Mamluk Empire of Syria and Egypt. After his works became core sources of Mamluk history. He wrote at-Taʾrīf bi-al-muṣṭalaḥ ash-sharīf, a complete study of the ideologies of Mamlūk government. Also, Masālik al-abṣār fī mamālik al-amṣār is an encyclopedia by Al-Umar, and it is also about organizational performs.

The Hajj of Mansa Musa is Al-Umar’s passage in which Syrian scholar describes pilgrimage of the king of Mali, Mansa I. It is period between 1324-1326 when Mansa Musa traveled from Mali to Mecca. From the source, it is clear that Al-Umar gathered information about hajj of Mansa from locals in Cairo. Syrian writer himself traveled in Cairo to find persons who were associated with this journey of Mansa. Source mainly discusses how Mansa Musa was acting while he was on his journey and especially what he did in Cairo. There is a lot of information about Musa’s property, his attitude toward people and results of his charity.

Description of political, economic and social situation

From 11th to 14th century political, social and economic situation absolutely changed in Africa. It is true that even before this time Africa was not very separated from rest of the world but connection between sub-Saharan Africa and other continents became stronger especially from 1000 to 1300 CE. Cultural, political, and economical integration help this territory to become interesting and attractive for Eurasia. Two main factors led these changes. First it was spread of Islam and second growing trade, especially, in slaves, gold and many other.

One of the most influential empire in this period of Africa was the Mali Empire. This was a territory in west part of Africa, located between seaside rain forest in the south and the Sahara Desert to the north. Mali was founded by Sundiata Keita after he won the battle of Krina against Sosso. This result led rise of Mali Empire.

Golden era of this empire was during the rule of Mansa Musa who took power in 1312 CE. He was successor of Mansa Abu Bakr II who disappeared in Atlantic. In this period full-time army was defending borders of empire and there were approximately 100 000 men soldiers and 10 000 of them were part of cavalry corps. This force helped Musa to not only maintain the territory of his empire but to double it. Mali became the second biggest empire after Mongol Empire. Gradually, influence of Mali Empire on other territories of Africa was increasing. Soon Mali was controlling Gambia, Senegal, Gao, the Bure region, Western Sahara border region and so. All these territories were ruled by Mansa Musa who was strictly controlling if everyone was paying taxes and if all regulations were conformed throughout his empire. Also, he distributed his power to masters. Musa assigned chiefs of different levels: village or city masters, country masters and province masters.

What helped Mali Empire to become greater was its beneficial strategic location. It was placed between West African gold mines and the agriculturally rich Niger River valley. Big supply of gold, copper and salt, and monopoly on trading contributed to the flourishing of Mali’s economy. Three huge gold mines and taxing of any imported gold or salt played vital role in developing of this empire. All gold nuggets belonged to Mansa. They were part of imperial treasure and no one had right to trade gold nuggets within the borders of empire. All gold particles were turned into form of gold dust which was a unit of exchange all over the empire. However, it was not valued similarly in all provinces. Second thing that made Mali wealthy is salt. South part of empire was lack of this resource, so here salt was even more valuable than gold. In compare, in north there was enough supply of salt. In Sub-Saharan Africa salt was evaluated as valuable as gold, or sometimes more valuable, than gold. One more appreciated merchandise in Mali was copper. Mostly, the north part of empire was rich in copper ores. Especially, Takedda was source of this metal. So, people from the north and the south were exchanging copper and gold.

Society of Mali was divided into classes. In the top of hierarchy there was king. Second the most influential class was priests and they were followed by griots (storytellers). The lowest class of society were slaves. Usually they were women and people with physical or mental problems. In Mali most of the population were Muslims. Islam was well integrated with local traditions and beliefs.

Abstract:

In the book Sunjata a West African epic of the Mande peoples by David C Conrad he shows how the Manding are a backbone of West Africa for a significant long time, this epic pursues the endeavors and achievements of the Mande’s first king, Sunjata. It sets up the phenomenal medieval empire of Mali. The author passes on the strong story push of the Sunjata epic in his presentation of liberal determinations from his understanding of a show by Djanka Tassey Condé who is the narrator in the book.

In the epic of Sundiata which speaks not only stories about the empire of Mali in the thirteenth and fourteenth century but in addition mentions the ancient Manding societies and the power of women is a beautiful work of composing that portrays a timeframe about history that is not well known. Such a discourse is around the basic inquiry of the unwavering quality of oral custom; to deny the epic’s exclusively in light of the fact that it depends on oral convention establishes a negligence for a type of history that when utilized accurately may uncover essential social qualities and morals that can be connected to the present society. ‘Any source which depends on oral history creates a discussion between scholastics as to its unwavering quality, as learning that is passed down orally starting with one age then onto the next might be wrong because of human ‘contortions’ amid correspondence’ (Conrad 150). This can be seen as an unpreventable introduction of human tendencies of bias into the story, which may be difficult to unwind from this present reality. For example, in the preface to the epic, the narrator Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté states that ‘ by his mouth one will become acquainted with the narrative of the incredible Mali, the tale of him who, by his endeavors, outperformed much Alexander the Great” (Sundiata 1-2). The storyteller is obviously a colossal admirer of Sundiata, which may have driven him to decorate his depiction of the King and this brings out in his group a comparative regard. The author David Conrad attests in different types of the epic. ‘ have at times deliberately coordinated their earnest attempts at anticipating Sundiata over all others as a brilliant image of the Mande past ‘ (147). The biases being portrayed could lead the readers to endorse that the epic, or any record subject to oral show, may not be reasonable as a free source, for dread that the information it presents might be mistaken and misleading.

In spite of Conrad ‘s declaration that the epic is every so often crude in view of the distinctive tendencies inside it, he proposes that it remains a very credible source when utilized and related to different people. Conrad demands that ‘the exhibit of coordinating just one or, more perfect circumstance there are a couple of assortments of the Sundiata epic the shot of surmounting the formally constraining burdens related with filtering this material for obliging information and ‘ just through near utilization of all accessible material can a possibly recorded diagram of Mande history start to rise ‘ (146). The epic is unmistakably an important chronicled source; however, this does not nullify the inclinations and other such human favoritism inside it which could create a bogus history. While one must be mindful of the standard disadvantages of collecting information from hundreds of years of oral transmission, the Epic of Sundiata is unmistakably too significant a source to disregard in any investigation of thirteenth and fourteenth century Malian history. Not many essential sources stay from this period and those that do must be treated with a specific dimension. Neglecting the epic as a recorded source on the sole grounds that it depends on an oral convention uncovers a long-standing Western partiality against oral accounts, However, Kouyaté who is the storyteller proposes that ‘other people use writings to record the past, but … writing lacks the warmth of the human voice’ (Sundiata 41). While most written sources may be progressively trustworthy in Western historiography, African people rely upon describing as an approach to all the more promptly understand and partner with their descendants, and this vitality can’t be ignored. In ignoring oral messages as chronicled sources, one allows the remarkable western conceptualization of ‘right history’ that is, written history to confine his or her thoughts. Oral sources should also be as basic as created ones; in advising diverse kinds of source material, the classicist approaches a progressively broad extensiveness of information.

Also, one may battle that the veritable estimation of the epic does not lie in its precision its ability to relate basic dates or sureness’s anyway in its ability to concede the characteristics and feelings of the old Mande people. It demonstrates an exceptional appraisal on the point of the sensibility of the epic as a true source by recommending that in the Mande, individuals did not anticipate that the griot should give them verifiable verifications or dates; they anticipated that the griot should give an importance to their lives. As the narrator says, he ‘teaches” kings the history of their ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is as it were, through the accounts of the storytellers, relatives had the capacity to get to the shrewdness and direction of their progenitors and apply such messages in the present day. In the Sundiata Epic, qualities, for example, dedication, fortitude and religiosity rise as indispensable to the Mande individuals, which can offer the readers an imperative understanding into their mind. Such a critical understanding can’t be disregarded, regardless of whether the setting or plot of the story isn’t constantly chronicled. The Western historiographical distraction with certainties has veiled this option, yet similarly imperative, utilization of the epic. Towards the end of the epic the reader could recommend that the epic may not be reasonable as a recorded source on account of irregularities in the story, others, for example, Conrad, proposes that it remains an important source when used accurately. While it is undoubtedly essential for the audience to be mindful of any potential human obstructions in the Sundiata account, it stays as critical chronicled source that offers a one of a kind knowledge into the qualities and morals of the Mande individuals. old, but the future springs from the past’ (Sundiata 1). Speaking of the future springs from the past as mentioned earlier the power of women played a significant role in the epic and this can be seen in today’s world and how even though the world is patriotic now women in the ancient times did have a voice.

In the Epic of Sundiata the power that ladies had can be viewed as a smart strategy that is increased through understanding, and the slyness to utilize this learning. Sassouma Berete knew this intensity of this. At the point when Sogolon is to wed the lord, Sassouma Berete utilizes her shrewdness to spread bits of gossip about Sogolon. As D.T. Niane writes in Sundiata, ‘It was realized that she was not the most beautiful, however the interest of everybody was stirred, and as of now a thousand accounts were circling, the majority of them put out by Sassouma Berete, the lord’s first spouse’ (Niane 11). This proposes Sassouma Berete comprehended the intensity of utilizing her experience and slyness to make an unpleasant atmosphere for Sogolon. At the point when Sogolon winds up pregnant with Sundiata, Sassouma Berete starts the way toward deciding how it would influence her and her kids. D.T. Niane, states, ‘What might happen to her, Sassouma Berete, if her child, effectively eight years of age, was excluded for the infant that Sogolon would get the world?’ (Niane 12). In this scenario Sassouma Berete utilizes her experience and slyness to attempt and change the course of fate. In the instance of Sassouma Berete it very well may be seen that lady had control, a kind of power, however that it was utilized in a negative manner. This isn’t the situation with this kind of intensity ladies had in Sundiata. All through the story are instances of ladies utilizing a similar capacity to deliver positive outcomes. While estranged abroad in Djedeba, Mansa Konkon’s little girl demonstrates the utilization of this intensity of shrewdness to secure Sundiata. Realizing that her dad, Mansa Konkon, never lost at the round of wori, the kings daughter discloses this to Manding Bory. At the point when the following day comes and Sundiata is brought to play wori against the lord he can beat him with this learning. D.T. Niane expresses, ‘In certainty the lord’s little girl had uncovered the key to Mandy Boring’ (Niane 30). This demonstrates a positive utilization of the power she had. Next in Sundiata is the slyness used by Sundiata’s half-sister Triban. She discloses to Sundiata how, in the wake of being compelled to be the spouse of Soumaoro, ‘I realized how to compliment him and make him envious’ (Niane 56). Triban proceeds to clarify that she gets Soumaoro to reveal to her his shortcoming with her cunning by saying, ‘Let me know, lord if rulers, disclose to me what jinn secures you…’ (Niane 57). After Soumaoro advise everything to Triban she designs a break out with Bella Fasseke. Triban talks about how she had the information and experience to use her cunning and did this for Sundiata. Subsequent to getting away she rushed to Sundiata to disclose to him this (Niane 58).

In the book Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali Mecca was a city of Saudi Arabia which was a holy spot where the Muslims yearly heavily assembled called the Hajj happens. It is trusted that a Muslim should take a visit at this heavenly spot at any rate once in his or her lifetime. Being a Muslim Mansa Musa a realm of the medieval kingdom of Mali additionally made such a vital visit to Mecca amid his rule. On his journey it is said that he conveyed a ton of gold with him, and he spent it extravagantly. However, the gold was spent in such a way, the consequence of his journey was of incredible essentialness to his kingdom. It got an extraordinary change to his realm. Yet at the same time his luxurious spending of gold got a negative effect Egypt. This paper will break down Mansa Musa’s journey to Mecca by talking about its favorable circumstances and its inconveniences. I will begin by examining the points of interest that this journey brought into the Malian Kingdom. These preferences were the acknowledgment of Mali in different nations which added to exchange, the fortifying of Islam and the advancement of training. After that I will examine about its burdens which are spending gold to the detriment of Malians and furthermore the effect that it conveyed to Egypt’s gold exchange.

To start, with Mansa Musa’s journey is considered as one of the best in the medieval occasions. Rose E. Dunn (2004) has underscored this view by expressing that ‘[T] he hajj of Mansa Musa entirety’s up Mali’s vital spot among the kingdoms of Africa and Asia in Ibn Battuta’s time’ (p. 113). Clearly his journey to Mecca was extremely essential to his kingdom. From his journey and the spending of gold made Mali to be perceived outside of Africa as one of the most extravagant and most noteworthy kingdoms of that time. This acknowledgment may have prompted the foundation of political associations with Europeans and the Middle Eastern nations, which may have encouraged its gold exchange. From those connections Mali had the capacity to make new exchanging ties that could have expanded his realm’s riches. Dunn (2004) has noticed that Mansa Musa’s rule came at a period that the relations with the Muslim dealers and with the conditions of North Africa were especially vital attributable to the solid market for gold (p. 116). In this manner, from his journey he more likely than not presented Mali to these Muslim shippers and the North Africans, in this manner they may have made new exchanging accomplices. Likewise, by having many exchanging relations, it might imply that the kingdom of Mali’s gold exchange may have been fortified. From those exchange incomes Mali turned into a prosperous kingdom.

Notwithstanding exchange, the other noteworthy thing that Musa’s journey conveyed to his kingdom was the fortifying of Islam. It has been expressed that ‘Mansa Musa was normally an incredible most loved of Muslim conclusion, both in Mali and the more extensive Islamic world’ (Dunn, 2004, p. 116). So, Musa being a pioneer who was focused on Islam helped in spreading and fortifying this religion in his kingdom. Regardless of the way that Islam was presented in Mali before Musa’s rule, yet after his journey Islam turned out to be solid there. His journey may demonstrate that he was a given Muslim who needed to get others on route to change over to Islam. One way that Mansa Musa helped in spreading Islam was through his liberality amid his journey. When he was spending the gold, numerous individuals could have been pulled in by his thoughtfulness and may have been moved to pursue his religion. In addition, the job that he took in structure the mosques in Mali might be proof that he needed to reinforce Islam there. As indicated by the BBC’s account of Africa about Mali, it expresses that Mansa Musa’s riches was spent forever in the structure of mosques in Gao and Timbuktu. This may imply that Musa was devoted at Islam, and thus those Mosques could have gone about as an instrument to convince and urge more individuals to pursue the Islamic religion.

Additionally, his journey helped his realm in advancing instruction. Mansa Musa turned Mali in turning into a focal point of learning. As indicated by the sound about ‘Domains of Mali and Songhai’ Mansa Musa on his way from the journey he carried with him Arab researchers and Architectures, who helped in structure the University of Timbuktu which adjusted the Islamic lessons. This may have made Timbuktu one of that period’s best taking in focal point of which researchers from everywhere throughout the world could come to contemplate. Likewise, for him [Mansa] to have adjusted Islamic lessons in his Kingdom, it might have additionally assumed a job in the fortifying and impacted the Islamic religion and culture. In spite of the fact that the Malian Empire profited by his journey, his free spending of the gold may have made the individuals who profited to profit to the detriment of his kin. It has been expressed that ‘The Cairenes made inestimable advantages out of him and his suite in purchasing and selling and giving and taking’ (Dunn, 2004, p. 113). From this it tends to be seen that for the individuals who got that free gold had the capacity to put resources into that equivalent gold which consequently gave them a great deal of benefits. Be that as it may, in the event that it was not for his free spending those benefits could have been made by his kin. Besides from his rich spending of gold, it influenced the Egyptian gold market. Dunn (2004) expressed that Mansa Musa’s spending of gold influenced the Egypt’s gold esteem and it made its value fall (p. 113). From this it tends to be seen that Egypt truly experienced Musa’s journey, and this may have made the abundance of Egypt decay. Also, it is said that it took over 10 years to settle the economy of Egypt.

In outline, it has been seen that Musa’s journey rolled out a critical improvement in his Kingdom. From that journey Mali was known and it made political associations with European and Arab countries. What’s more, in these relations they set up exchanging attaches that empowered Mali to aggregate more riches. Aside from that Musa’s journey demonstrated that he was devoted to the Islamic religion, and after his journey he helped in fortifying this religion in his Kingdom. He did that by structure mosques in Mali’s urban areas. Besides Musa advanced instruction in his Kingdom by conveying Arab researchers who helped him to fabricate the Universities which made its Capital Timbuktu turning into the focal point of Islamic learning. Nonetheless, his spending of the gold left a negative effect in Egypt’s gold market and Egypt’s economy wound up flimsy for over 10 years. So, his journey profited his kin in the meantime it influenced different states. In spite of the fact that that is the situation, Mansa Musa left a heritage that will at present be recollected in Mali or Islam as well as in the World history.

Work Cited

1. Conrad, David C, and Djanka T. Condé. Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co, 2004. Print.
2. Niane, Djibril Tamsir., David W. Chappell, and Jim Jones. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Harlow, England: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.

“I teach kings the history of their ancestors, so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is old, but the future springs from the past”, states Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyate in ‘An epic of old Mali study guide’ (Kouyate, 2019, p.1). The succession of kings in Mali indicates that, all the kings had the same goal of making Mali a great empire in the whole world (UNESCO, 1979, p.60). Mali’s civilization left a remarkable spot in the whole world as it contributed to the development of trade, education and improved relationship among African countries, used by Mansa Musa, especially with the neighboring countries like Egypt.

Mali was the largest and wealthiest empire in west Africa and one of the most important trade centers in the world. Salt and Gold made the empire of Mali very rich, it was a safe place to do business. Merchants came from long distances to buy and sell their items for gold and salt (UNESCO, 1979, p.61). Because Mali was well geographically located, having Niger river to the west and Senegal river to the east, the transportation of goods to and from different locations using boats down the rivers was easier. Mali had great salt mines in the north, around Tegaza and Sahara Desert and Gold mines in the south (UNESCO, 1979, p.61). Traders from many different places had to go through the kingdom of Mali, since all the trade routes passed through the kingdom, to get salt and gold where they paid a lot of taxes which brought revenue to the kingdom. Mali not only contributed to the development of trade in Africa but also across the whole world.

The development of Timbuktu city made this civilization more distinct. Mansa Musa built this city along the river Niger, it was one of the richest cities in the world. It was the home of two universities, 170 schools and a great library filled with books that held the wisdom of the world including translations of Greek and Roman books (UNESCO, 1979, p.64). People came from all over the world, especially from Arabia and North Africa, to study at the library. Timbuktu as a learning center was at the same time a religious city, because mostly the teachings done in schools were based on Islamic religion. According to a West African proverb: “Salt comes from the north, gold from the south and silver from the country of the white men, but the word of God and the treasures of wisdom are only to be found in Timbuktu” (Understanding slavery initiative, 2011). Also, Ibn Battuta illustrated this in his observations when he traversed the kingdom of Mali, where he wrote that, “Mali people were very zealous in their attempt to learn the holy Quran by heart” (Battuta,1353). Timbuktu had a very big impact to the world through being a center of education.

Mali had able leaders who had both vision and mission for the kingdom. The remarkable were Sundiata who fought for peace and stability for the kingdom and its people, and the famous Mansa Musa who was the richest (UNESCO, 1979, p.60). Not only Mansa Musa wanted Mali to be an economic state, but also a recognized state over the whole world. He expanded Mali’s borders by conquering Timbuktu and Gao as well as developing trade routes. Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca and visit to Cairo where he gave a lot of gold to the poor and bought many souvenirs from Cairo. This was not only a powerful way of showing gratitude and helping the poor, as stated in Islamic rules, but also showing the world that Mali was rich and powerful. In addition, this was also a great method of engaging the outside African community (UNESCO, 1979, p.64). On his way back, he came with famous architects from Egypt who were going to build mosques and Mali’s royal palace for the emperor.

In short, Mali’s civilization had a very big influence on education in west Africa where the influx of trained minds, artists and artisans came from. This also contributed to the trade and made Mali a leading country in the world. The great leaders of Mali and its civilization left important marks in the African history. On the other hand, local storytellers, the griots, spoke of a different king, Mansa Musa, a foolish who wasted the imperial treasure. But later after his death, Mali started collapsing.

Bibliography

1. Motion picture. (2012). USA: Jamestsanders. Retrieved August 04, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHZI8d6_RUM
2. Motion picture on VHS. (2018). USA: Jonathanpearson. Retrieved August 04, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKq7GGSTWq4
3. Credits, E. (Producer). (2018). The Empire of Mali – Mansa Musa – Extra History – #3[Video file]. USA: Extracredits. Retrieved August 04, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Un2xx6Pzo
4. Alexis. (n.d.). Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali Summary. Retrieved August 04, 2019, from https://www.gradesaver.com/sundiata-an-epic-of-old-mali/study-guide/summary
5. Initiative, U. S. (n.d.). Lost Libraries of Timbuktu. Retrieved August 04, 2019, from http://understandingslavery.com/index.php-option=com_content&view=article&id=378&Itemid=233.html
6. Selections “Africa and its History: A continent from within” UNESCO Courier, August-September 1979.
7. J. Ki-Zerbo, “General Introduction.” UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. 1. pp. 1-8.

Shihāb ad-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Faḍl Allāh al-ʿUmarī, also known as Al-Umari was a Syrian scholar. He was born in Damascus in 1301, June 12th. “Umar” in his name can be understood as the origin of his family and shows that they were from the second Islamic caliph. Al-Umari was part of a bureaucratic family, and his father was head of a chancery. Al-Umari started working as an assistant to his father, but he was the overly independent and free person to work in public services. That is the reason why, in 1337, he was discharged from office and sent to prison. He was released in 1339. After the death of his father, Al-Umari had one more chance to work on his position. But in 1342, Al-Umar was again displaced by his brother. After all this thing, Al-Umar started his career as a writer and scholar, and he spent his remaining life in the search for knowledge.

Usually, Al-Umar’s writings were used to rule territories of the Mamluk Empire of Syria and Egypt. After his works became core sources of Mamluk history. He wrote at-Taʾrīf bi-al-muṣṭalaḥ ash-sharīf, a complete study of the ideologies of Mamlūk government. Also, Masālik al-abṣār fī mamālik al-amṣār is an encyclopedia by Al-Umar, and it is also about organizational performs.

The Hajj of Mansa Musa is Al-Umar’s passage in which Syrian scholar describes pilgrimage of the king of Mali, Mansa I. It is period between 1324-1326 when Mansa Musa traveled from Mali to Mecca. From the source, it is clear that Al-Umar gathered information about hajj of Mansa from locals in Cairo. Syrian writer himself traveled in Cairo to find persons who were associated with this journey of Mansa. Source mainly discusses how Mansa Musa was acting while he was on his journey and especially what he did in Cairo. There is a lot of information about Musa’s property, his attitude toward people and results of his charity.

Description of political, economic and social situation

From 11th to 14th century political, social and economic situation absolutely changed in Africa. It is true that even before this time Africa was not very separated from rest of the world but connection between sub-Saharan Africa and other continents became stronger especially from 1000 to 1300 CE. Cultural, political, and economical integration help this territory to become interesting and attractive for Eurasia. Two main factors led these changes. First it was spread of Islam and second growing trade, especially, in slaves, gold and many other.

One of the most influential empire in this period of Africa was the Mali Empire. This was a territory in west part of Africa, located between seaside rain forest in the south and the Sahara Desert to the north. Mali was founded by Sundiata Keita after he won the battle of Krina against Sosso. This result led rise of Mali Empire.

Golden era of this empire was during the rule of Mansa Musa who took power in 1312 CE. He was successor of Mansa Abu Bakr II who disappeared in Atlantic. In this period full-time army was defending borders of empire and there were approximately 100 000 men soldiers and 10 000 of them were part of cavalry corps. This force helped Musa to not only maintain the territory of his empire but to double it. Mali became the second biggest empire after Mongol Empire. Gradually, influence of Mali Empire on other territories of Africa was increasing. Soon Mali was controlling Gambia, Senegal, Gao, the Bure region, Western Sahara border region and so. All these territories were ruled by Mansa Musa who was strictly controlling if everyone was paying taxes and if all regulations were conformed throughout his empire. Also, he distributed his power to masters. Musa assigned chiefs of different levels: village or city masters, country masters and province masters.

What helped Mali Empire to become greater was its beneficial strategic location. It was placed between West African gold mines and the agriculturally rich Niger River valley. Big supply of gold, copper and salt, and monopoly on trading contributed to the flourishing of Mali’s economy. Three huge gold mines and taxing of any imported gold or salt played vital role in developing of this empire. All gold nuggets belonged to Mansa. They were part of imperial treasure and no one had right to trade gold nuggets within the borders of empire. All gold particles were turned into form of gold dust which was a unit of exchange all over the empire. However, it was not valued similarly in all provinces. Second thing that made Mali wealthy is salt. South part of empire was lack of this resource, so here salt was even more valuable than gold. In compare, in north there was enough supply of salt. In Sub-Saharan Africa salt was evaluated as valuable as gold, or sometimes more valuable, than gold. One more appreciated merchandise in Mali was copper. Mostly, the north part of empire was rich in copper ores. Especially, Takedda was source of this metal. So, people from the north and the south were exchanging copper and gold.

Society of Mali was divided into classes. In the top of hierarchy there was king. Second the most influential class was priests and they were followed by griots (storytellers). The lowest class of society were slaves. Usually they were women and people with physical or mental problems. In Mali most of the population were Muslims. Islam was well integrated with local traditions and beliefs.

Abstract:

In the book Sunjata a West African epic of the Mande peoples by David C Conrad he shows how the Manding are a backbone of West Africa for a significant long time, this epic pursues the endeavors and achievements of the Mande’s first king, Sunjata. It sets up the phenomenal medieval empire of Mali. The author passes on the strong story push of the Sunjata epic in his presentation of liberal determinations from his understanding of a show by Djanka Tassey Condé who is the narrator in the book.

In the epic of Sundiata which speaks not only stories about the empire of Mali in the thirteenth and fourteenth century but in addition mentions the ancient Manding societies and the power of women is a beautiful work of composing that portrays a timeframe about history that is not well known. Such a discourse is around the basic inquiry of the unwavering quality of oral custom; to deny the epic’s exclusively in light of the fact that it depends on oral convention establishes a negligence for a type of history that when utilized accurately may uncover essential social qualities and morals that can be connected to the present society. ‘Any source which depends on oral history creates a discussion between scholastics as to its unwavering quality, as learning that is passed down orally starting with one age then onto the next might be wrong because of human ‘contortions’ amid correspondence’ (Conrad 150). This can be seen as an unpreventable introduction of human tendencies of bias into the story, which may be difficult to unwind from this present reality. For example, in the preface to the epic, the narrator Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté states that ‘ by his mouth one will become acquainted with the narrative of the incredible Mali, the tale of him who, by his endeavors, outperformed much Alexander the Great” (Sundiata 1-2). The storyteller is obviously a colossal admirer of Sundiata, which may have driven him to decorate his depiction of the King and this brings out in his group a comparative regard. The author David Conrad attests in different types of the epic. ‘ have at times deliberately coordinated their earnest attempts at anticipating Sundiata over all others as a brilliant image of the Mande past ‘ (147). The biases being portrayed could lead the readers to endorse that the epic, or any record subject to oral show, may not be reasonable as a free source, for dread that the information it presents might be mistaken and misleading.

In spite of Conrad ‘s declaration that the epic is every so often crude in view of the distinctive tendencies inside it, he proposes that it remains a very credible source when utilized and related to different people. Conrad demands that ‘the exhibit of coordinating just one or, more perfect circumstance there are a couple of assortments of the Sundiata epic the shot of surmounting the formally constraining burdens related with filtering this material for obliging information and ‘ just through near utilization of all accessible material can a possibly recorded diagram of Mande history start to rise ‘ (146). The epic is unmistakably an important chronicled source; however, this does not nullify the inclinations and other such human favoritism inside it which could create a bogus history. While one must be mindful of the standard disadvantages of collecting information from hundreds of years of oral transmission, the Epic of Sundiata is unmistakably too significant a source to disregard in any investigation of thirteenth and fourteenth century Malian history. Not many essential sources stay from this period and those that do must be treated with a specific dimension. Neglecting the epic as a recorded source on the sole grounds that it depends on an oral convention uncovers a long-standing Western partiality against oral accounts, However, Kouyaté who is the storyteller proposes that ‘other people use writings to record the past, but … writing lacks the warmth of the human voice’ (Sundiata 41). While most written sources may be progressively trustworthy in Western historiography, African people rely upon describing as an approach to all the more promptly understand and partner with their descendants, and this vitality can’t be ignored. In ignoring oral messages as chronicled sources, one allows the remarkable western conceptualization of ‘right history’ that is, written history to confine his or her thoughts. Oral sources should also be as basic as created ones; in advising diverse kinds of source material, the classicist approaches a progressively broad extensiveness of information.

Also, one may battle that the veritable estimation of the epic does not lie in its precision its ability to relate basic dates or sureness’s anyway in its ability to concede the characteristics and feelings of the old Mande people. It demonstrates an exceptional appraisal on the point of the sensibility of the epic as a true source by recommending that in the Mande, individuals did not anticipate that the griot should give them verifiable verifications or dates; they anticipated that the griot should give an importance to their lives. As the narrator says, he ‘teaches” kings the history of their ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is as it were, through the accounts of the storytellers, relatives had the capacity to get to the shrewdness and direction of their progenitors and apply such messages in the present day. In the Sundiata Epic, qualities, for example, dedication, fortitude and religiosity rise as indispensable to the Mande individuals, which can offer the readers an imperative understanding into their mind. Such a critical understanding can’t be disregarded, regardless of whether the setting or plot of the story isn’t constantly chronicled. The Western historiographical distraction with certainties has veiled this option, yet similarly imperative, utilization of the epic. Towards the end of the epic the reader could recommend that the epic may not be reasonable as a recorded source on account of irregularities in the story, others, for example, Conrad, proposes that it remains an important source when used accurately. While it is undoubtedly essential for the audience to be mindful of any potential human obstructions in the Sundiata account, it stays as critical chronicled source that offers a one of a kind knowledge into the qualities and morals of the Mande individuals. old, but the future springs from the past’ (Sundiata 1). Speaking of the future springs from the past as mentioned earlier the power of women played a significant role in the epic and this can be seen in today’s world and how even though the world is patriotic now women in the ancient times did have a voice.

In the Epic of Sundiata the power that ladies had can be viewed as a smart strategy that is increased through understanding, and the slyness to utilize this learning. Sassouma Berete knew this intensity of this. At the point when Sogolon is to wed the lord, Sassouma Berete utilizes her shrewdness to spread bits of gossip about Sogolon. As D.T. Niane writes in Sundiata, ‘It was realized that she was not the most beautiful, however the interest of everybody was stirred, and as of now a thousand accounts were circling, the majority of them put out by Sassouma Berete, the lord’s first spouse’ (Niane 11). This proposes Sassouma Berete comprehended the intensity of utilizing her experience and slyness to make an unpleasant atmosphere for Sogolon. At the point when Sogolon winds up pregnant with Sundiata, Sassouma Berete starts the way toward deciding how it would influence her and her kids. D.T. Niane, states, ‘What might happen to her, Sassouma Berete, if her child, effectively eight years of age, was excluded for the infant that Sogolon would get the world?’ (Niane 12). In this scenario Sassouma Berete utilizes her experience and slyness to attempt and change the course of fate. In the instance of Sassouma Berete it very well may be seen that lady had control, a kind of power, however that it was utilized in a negative manner. This isn’t the situation with this kind of intensity ladies had in Sundiata. All through the story are instances of ladies utilizing a similar capacity to deliver positive outcomes. While estranged abroad in Djedeba, Mansa Konkon’s little girl demonstrates the utilization of this intensity of shrewdness to secure Sundiata. Realizing that her dad, Mansa Konkon, never lost at the round of wori, the kings daughter discloses this to Manding Bory. At the point when the following day comes and Sundiata is brought to play wori against the lord he can beat him with this learning. D.T. Niane expresses, ‘In certainty the lord’s little girl had uncovered the key to Mandy Boring’ (Niane 30). This demonstrates a positive utilization of the power she had. Next in Sundiata is the slyness used by Sundiata’s half-sister Triban. She discloses to Sundiata how, in the wake of being compelled to be the spouse of Soumaoro, ‘I realized how to compliment him and make him envious’ (Niane 56). Triban proceeds to clarify that she gets Soumaoro to reveal to her his shortcoming with her cunning by saying, ‘Let me know, lord if rulers, disclose to me what jinn secures you…’ (Niane 57). After Soumaoro advise everything to Triban she designs a break out with Bella Fasseke. Triban talks about how she had the information and experience to use her cunning and did this for Sundiata. Subsequent to getting away she rushed to Sundiata to disclose to him this (Niane 58).

In the book Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali Mecca was a city of Saudi Arabia which was a holy spot where the Muslims yearly heavily assembled called the Hajj happens. It is trusted that a Muslim should take a visit at this heavenly spot at any rate once in his or her lifetime. Being a Muslim Mansa Musa a realm of the medieval kingdom of Mali additionally made such a vital visit to Mecca amid his rule. On his journey it is said that he conveyed a ton of gold with him, and he spent it extravagantly. However, the gold was spent in such a way, the consequence of his journey was of incredible essentialness to his kingdom. It got an extraordinary change to his realm. Yet at the same time his luxurious spending of gold got a negative effect Egypt. This paper will break down Mansa Musa’s journey to Mecca by talking about its favorable circumstances and its inconveniences. I will begin by examining the points of interest that this journey brought into the Malian Kingdom. These preferences were the acknowledgment of Mali in different nations which added to exchange, the fortifying of Islam and the advancement of training. After that I will examine about its burdens which are spending gold to the detriment of Malians and furthermore the effect that it conveyed to Egypt’s gold exchange.

To start, with Mansa Musa’s journey is considered as one of the best in the medieval occasions. Rose E. Dunn (2004) has underscored this view by expressing that ‘[T] he hajj of Mansa Musa entirety’s up Mali’s vital spot among the kingdoms of Africa and Asia in Ibn Battuta’s time’ (p. 113). Clearly his journey to Mecca was extremely essential to his kingdom. From his journey and the spending of gold made Mali to be perceived outside of Africa as one of the most extravagant and most noteworthy kingdoms of that time. This acknowledgment may have prompted the foundation of political associations with Europeans and the Middle Eastern nations, which may have encouraged its gold exchange. From those connections Mali had the capacity to make new exchanging ties that could have expanded his realm’s riches. Dunn (2004) has noticed that Mansa Musa’s rule came at a period that the relations with the Muslim dealers and with the conditions of North Africa were especially vital attributable to the solid market for gold (p. 116). In this manner, from his journey he more likely than not presented Mali to these Muslim shippers and the North Africans, in this manner they may have made new exchanging accomplices. Likewise, by having many exchanging relations, it might imply that the kingdom of Mali’s gold exchange may have been fortified. From those exchange incomes Mali turned into a prosperous kingdom.

Notwithstanding exchange, the other noteworthy thing that Musa’s journey conveyed to his kingdom was the fortifying of Islam. It has been expressed that ‘Mansa Musa was normally an incredible most loved of Muslim conclusion, both in Mali and the more extensive Islamic world’ (Dunn, 2004, p. 116). So, Musa being a pioneer who was focused on Islam helped in spreading and fortifying this religion in his kingdom. Regardless of the way that Islam was presented in Mali before Musa’s rule, yet after his journey Islam turned out to be solid there. His journey may demonstrate that he was a given Muslim who needed to get others on route to change over to Islam. One way that Mansa Musa helped in spreading Islam was through his liberality amid his journey. When he was spending the gold, numerous individuals could have been pulled in by his thoughtfulness and may have been moved to pursue his religion. In addition, the job that he took in structure the mosques in Mali might be proof that he needed to reinforce Islam there. As indicated by the BBC’s account of Africa about Mali, it expresses that Mansa Musa’s riches was spent forever in the structure of mosques in Gao and Timbuktu. This may imply that Musa was devoted at Islam, and thus those Mosques could have gone about as an instrument to convince and urge more individuals to pursue the Islamic religion.

Additionally, his journey helped his realm in advancing instruction. Mansa Musa turned Mali in turning into a focal point of learning. As indicated by the sound about ‘Domains of Mali and Songhai’ Mansa Musa on his way from the journey he carried with him Arab researchers and Architectures, who helped in structure the University of Timbuktu which adjusted the Islamic lessons. This may have made Timbuktu one of that period’s best taking in focal point of which researchers from everywhere throughout the world could come to contemplate. Likewise, for him [Mansa] to have adjusted Islamic lessons in his Kingdom, it might have additionally assumed a job in the fortifying and impacted the Islamic religion and culture. In spite of the fact that the Malian Empire profited by his journey, his free spending of the gold may have made the individuals who profited to profit to the detriment of his kin. It has been expressed that ‘The Cairenes made inestimable advantages out of him and his suite in purchasing and selling and giving and taking’ (Dunn, 2004, p. 113). From this it tends to be seen that for the individuals who got that free gold had the capacity to put resources into that equivalent gold which consequently gave them a great deal of benefits. Be that as it may, in the event that it was not for his free spending those benefits could have been made by his kin. Besides from his rich spending of gold, it influenced the Egyptian gold market. Dunn (2004) expressed that Mansa Musa’s spending of gold influenced the Egypt’s gold esteem and it made its value fall (p. 113). From this it tends to be seen that Egypt truly experienced Musa’s journey, and this may have made the abundance of Egypt decay. Also, it is said that it took over 10 years to settle the economy of Egypt.

In outline, it has been seen that Musa’s journey rolled out a critical improvement in his Kingdom. From that journey Mali was known and it made political associations with European and Arab countries. What’s more, in these relations they set up exchanging attaches that empowered Mali to aggregate more riches. Aside from that Musa’s journey demonstrated that he was devoted to the Islamic religion, and after his journey he helped in fortifying this religion in his Kingdom. He did that by structure mosques in Mali’s urban areas. Besides Musa advanced instruction in his Kingdom by conveying Arab researchers who helped him to fabricate the Universities which made its Capital Timbuktu turning into the focal point of Islamic learning. Nonetheless, his spending of the gold left a negative effect in Egypt’s gold market and Egypt’s economy wound up flimsy for over 10 years. So, his journey profited his kin in the meantime it influenced different states. In spite of the fact that that is the situation, Mansa Musa left a heritage that will at present be recollected in Mali or Islam as well as in the World history.

Work Cited

1. Conrad, David C, and Djanka T. Condé. Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co, 2004. Print.
2. Niane, Djibril Tamsir., David W. Chappell, and Jim Jones. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Harlow, England: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.

“I teach kings the history of their ancestors, so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is old, but the future springs from the past”, states Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyate in ‘An epic of old Mali study guide’ (Kouyate, 2019, p.1). The succession of kings in Mali indicates that, all the kings had the same goal of making Mali a great empire in the whole world (UNESCO, 1979, p.60). Mali’s civilization left a remarkable spot in the whole world as it contributed to the development of trade, education and improved relationship among African countries, used by Mansa Musa, especially with the neighboring countries like Egypt.

Mali was the largest and wealthiest empire in west Africa and one of the most important trade centers in the world. Salt and Gold made the empire of Mali very rich, it was a safe place to do business. Merchants came from long distances to buy and sell their items for gold and salt (UNESCO, 1979, p.61). Because Mali was well geographically located, having Niger river to the west and Senegal river to the east, the transportation of goods to and from different locations using boats down the rivers was easier. Mali had great salt mines in the north, around Tegaza and Sahara Desert and Gold mines in the south (UNESCO, 1979, p.61). Traders from many different places had to go through the kingdom of Mali, since all the trade routes passed through the kingdom, to get salt and gold where they paid a lot of taxes which brought revenue to the kingdom. Mali not only contributed to the development of trade in Africa but also across the whole world.

The development of Timbuktu city made this civilization more distinct. Mansa Musa built this city along the river Niger, it was one of the richest cities in the world. It was the home of two universities, 170 schools and a great library filled with books that held the wisdom of the world including translations of Greek and Roman books (UNESCO, 1979, p.64). People came from all over the world, especially from Arabia and North Africa, to study at the library. Timbuktu as a learning center was at the same time a religious city, because mostly the teachings done in schools were based on Islamic religion. According to a West African proverb: “Salt comes from the north, gold from the south and silver from the country of the white men, but the word of God and the treasures of wisdom are only to be found in Timbuktu” (Understanding slavery initiative, 2011). Also, Ibn Battuta illustrated this in his observations when he traversed the kingdom of Mali, where he wrote that, “Mali people were very zealous in their attempt to learn the holy Quran by heart” (Battuta,1353). Timbuktu had a very big impact to the world through being a center of education.

Mali had able leaders who had both vision and mission for the kingdom. The remarkable were Sundiata who fought for peace and stability for the kingdom and its people, and the famous Mansa Musa who was the richest (UNESCO, 1979, p.60). Not only Mansa Musa wanted Mali to be an economic state, but also a recognized state over the whole world. He expanded Mali’s borders by conquering Timbuktu and Gao as well as developing trade routes. Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca and visit to Cairo where he gave a lot of gold to the poor and bought many souvenirs from Cairo. This was not only a powerful way of showing gratitude and helping the poor, as stated in Islamic rules, but also showing the world that Mali was rich and powerful. In addition, this was also a great method of engaging the outside African community (UNESCO, 1979, p.64). On his way back, he came with famous architects from Egypt who were going to build mosques and Mali’s royal palace for the emperor.

In short, Mali’s civilization had a very big influence on education in west Africa where the influx of trained minds, artists and artisans came from. This also contributed to the trade and made Mali a leading country in the world. The great leaders of Mali and its civilization left important marks in the African history. On the other hand, local storytellers, the griots, spoke of a different king, Mansa Musa, a foolish who wasted the imperial treasure. But later after his death, Mali started collapsing.

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