The Twelve Doors of Mali Thompson, Robert Farris, ''Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy'', Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (2010), p. 195,

(Retrieved 13 April 2019) were the possessions of the Mansa (title), Mansa (emperor) of the medieval

Mali Empire The Mali Empire ( Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl ...

which was established in c.. 1235 following The Battle of Kirina. These lands were either allied to or conquered by

Sundiata Keita Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255) (also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He is also the great-uncle ...

(the first Emperor of Imperial Mali) on his campaign to free the

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Mandingo (play)'', a play by Jack Kir ...

heartland from the

Sosso The Sosso Empire was a twelfth-century Kaniaga kingdom of West Africa. The Kingdom of Sosso, also written as Soso or Susu, was an ancient kingdom on the coast of west Africa. During its empire, reigned their most famous leader, Sumaoro Kan ...

kingdom of Kaniaga.

The Twelve Doors

Following his victory at Kirina,

united the twelve towns of Mande known as the "twelve doors of Mali." He pacified these twelve towns and went on to bring prosperity to the land The twelve doors of Mali are listed below: *Bambougou, conquered by Fakoli Koroma *The lands of the Bozo people, allied to Mali *Djedeba, allied to Mali *Do, from which all future Keita queens (such as Sogolon Condé, Sundiata's mother''"Mali's Boy-King: A Thirteenth-Century African Epic Becomes Digital"'', By Ronica Roth (in NEH) : Humanities, July/August 1998, Volume 19/Number 4
/ref>) would come from, allied to Mali *Jalo, conquered by Fran Kamara *Kaniaga, conquered by Mari Djata I (commonly known as

) *Kri, allied to Mali * Oualata, conquered by Mari Djata I * Siby, allied to Mali *Tabon, allied to Mali *Toron, allied to Mali *Zaghari, allied to Mali

Historical significance

The twelve doors were the base of the ''Manden Kurufa'' (Manden Federation). With future conquests and re-organization, they would transform into the provinces of the

. They remained important in the political and military circles of imperial power until the end of the Mali Empire in 1645.

Notes

{{Epic of Sundiata Mali Empire History of Mali