1994/11/01 by Davind C. Conrad · 3 citations
Social Sciences · #African Studies and Ethnography #African Studies and Geopolitics #Colonialism, slavery, and trade #Descendant #Capital (architecture) #Ancient history #History #Empire #Politics #Population #Government (linguistics) #Historiography #Period (music) #Archaeology #Economic history #Sociology #Law #Demography #Political science #Art
paper · doi:10.1017/s002185370002675x
openalex publication_date 1994/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/30
When combined, evidence from oral tradition, Arabic texts and archaeological sites indicates that ancient Mali's seat of government changed more than once during its imperial period from the twelfth to the sixteenth century. According to oral tradition, the town in which Sunjata spent his early years, and to which he returned from exile, was Dakajalan. This mansadugu or ‘king's town’ served as Sunjata's base of operations for his campaign against Sumanguru and may have continued for a time as both spiritual and military headquarters during the struggle for unification following the defeat of Soso. As Mande's core territory expanded into the beginnings of empire, the mansadugu was probably moved north-eastward, down the River Niger to take advantage of widening commercial opportunities and to govern an expanded population of imperial subjects who included large numbers of Muslims from the former Soninke territories. Niani was one of the oldest and most important cities of Mali, especially notable for its iron industry. If it served also as a political capital this would most likely have been in the sixteenth century under Niani Mansa Mamadu, a descendant of Sunjata's royal lineage.