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Kangaba
Kangaba is a town, commune, and seat of the Kangaba Cercle in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. Kangaba is believed to have been founded in 1050 by Mandingo tribesmen and was a vassal state of the Ghana Empire. Once known as Kaba, the area was a core province of the Mali Empire. After winning the Battle of Kirina in 1235, Sundiata Keita proclaimed the Manden Charter, also known as the Kouroukan Fouga after the field near Kangaba where it was created, perhaps the oldest constitution in the world. Ceremonies are still held in the town to honor the ancient traditions and promote a message of peace and fraternity. The Kamablon ( fr) is a sacred circular mudbrick building with a conical roof in the ''bara'', or large public square, at the center of town, built in 1653. The oldest of its kind in the Manden cultural zone, its septennial re-roofing ceremony brings together the traditional castes, founding dynasties of the Mali Empire, and griots who recite the oral history ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, Mālī) was an empire in West Africa from 1226 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. 1214 – c. 1255) and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita). The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws and customs. Much of the recorded information about the Mali Empire comes from 14th-century Tunisian historian Ibn Khaldun, 14th-century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta and 16th-century Andalusian traveller Leo Africanus. The other major source of information is Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots. The empire began a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
