Dark Crescent - A Timeline of the Mande Empire
- Thread starter Ibn Chaldun
- Start date
SwampTiger
Banned
Please keep writing this timeline. Remember, the perfect is the enemy of good enough!
Here are some resources:
http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Hydrogeology_of_Mali
The qanat system appears useful in several areas of the Mali empire. In addition, wells were used throughout the area with shallow groundwater. Mineral and salt contamination is a problem for some areas.
You can probably use well/cistern combinations northward along part of the Trans-Saharan trade route, encouraging greater trade. If you can provide waterwheel/windmill/Archimedean screw water lifting technology, you may be able to use groundwater for irrigation north of the rivers. Some of this ground water is replenished during the rainy season.
Boat technology in the period was primarily poled and paddled dugouts, some of substantial size. Contact with the Mediterranean and Red seas and Indian Ocean technologies allows larger boats/barges, adds sails and rowing oars. Boat sizes on the rivers is limited by the depth of the rivers. The best I can find is somewhere around 1.6 meters/5.25 feet through a good part of the Senegal, though I cannot get much real info. The Upper Niger has little info out on the web. The Middle to Lower Niger were very busy trade and raiding routes.
The qarib available in the Algarve and Maghreb by the early 13th century C.E. grew into the caravel. Similar boats were used on the Nile and in Oman from the 10th century C.E. for ferrying cargo to larger ships, coastal and river trade, and as offshore and coastal fishing craft. These used oars, sweeps (long oars) and either the lateen or settee sails.
Also, sugarcane and bananas were known to Arab traders from the Indian and East African trade.
Again, keep writing!
Here are some resources:
http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Hydrogeology_of_Mali
The qanat system appears useful in several areas of the Mali empire. In addition, wells were used throughout the area with shallow groundwater. Mineral and salt contamination is a problem for some areas.
You can probably use well/cistern combinations northward along part of the Trans-Saharan trade route, encouraging greater trade. If you can provide waterwheel/windmill/Archimedean screw water lifting technology, you may be able to use groundwater for irrigation north of the rivers. Some of this ground water is replenished during the rainy season.
Boat technology in the period was primarily poled and paddled dugouts, some of substantial size. Contact with the Mediterranean and Red seas and Indian Ocean technologies allows larger boats/barges, adds sails and rowing oars. Boat sizes on the rivers is limited by the depth of the rivers. The best I can find is somewhere around 1.6 meters/5.25 feet through a good part of the Senegal, though I cannot get much real info. The Upper Niger has little info out on the web. The Middle to Lower Niger were very busy trade and raiding routes.
The qarib available in the Algarve and Maghreb by the early 13th century C.E. grew into the caravel. Similar boats were used on the Nile and in Oman from the 10th century C.E. for ferrying cargo to larger ships, coastal and river trade, and as offshore and coastal fishing craft. These used oars, sweeps (long oars) and either the lateen or settee sails.
Also, sugarcane and bananas were known to Arab traders from the Indian and East African trade.
Again, keep writing!
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Also,@Ibn Chaldun it says in the table of contents that there a 5th update when there is not?
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I am getting withdrawal systemsYes, we are addicted to your timeline, and growing impatient.
Sorry for the delay guys. Been pretty busy the last weeks.
Im using that as a signal that a new chapter is about to be published. Had expected to get it finished by last Weekend, but in the end could not agree on a definite, fleshed-out theological doctrine for the newly founded Tariqa. Guess im gonna postpone that and write a bonus chapter about it in the future.
Expect an update in the next few days at latest.
Im using that as a signal that a new chapter is about to be published. Had expected to get it finished by last Weekend, but in the end could not agree on a definite, fleshed-out theological doctrine for the newly founded Tariqa. Guess im gonna postpone that and write a bonus chapter about it in the future.
Expect an update in the next few days at latest.
5. The Old Man Speaking
Chapter V – The Old Man Speaking
Two years later the two men met again in the royal gardens. Ouali was overjoyed to tell his mentor that at last every obstacle between them and their sweeping plans were no more. However, Mukhtar was furious. He had heard of the cruelty in the East. “They may be heathens, but they are sill human beings”, the usually calm-mannered scholar roared, “Do I really have wasted so many years on you?”.
“Something had to be done. Any weakness and the Songhai would have taken up their arms, too.”, the enraged Mansa replied. For almost an hour the two men would scream at each other. Only would they finally see reason, when Ouali's son Mukhter tucked his fathers’ shirt. “father, what is so came by. “Father”, the six-year old price asked, what is so interesting about water?”. Ouali followed the boy’s outstretched arm with his eyes and saw his younger son, Abubakari, staring at the little pool in the garden. “He is doing that for over an hour now,” Mukhter explained.
Seeing his little boys, he realized that he should rather honor his adviser than beat up the elderly man. Without Mukhtar's his wisdom, advise and knowledge he probably would never even have been Mansa. Even his fist born, the heir to the Empire had he named after him.
After the little boy had rushed off to confront his brother directly, Ouali sincerely apologized to Mukhtar. The Andalusian accepted, yet could not not forget the events entirely. Anyway he was ready to lay out the plan for reform he had worked on for the past years. So he began to speak.
***
“Our loyalists effectively control ever more provinces. Especially, in the West the old has been totally replaced. In the East, the military is generally under our command while civil administration still lies with the local nobles. Most commoners like this change, I hear. While the former governors had usually ruled to the advantage of their own tribe and kin, the loyalists are more impartial. As foreigners, they do not have an affiliation to any group. Also they are much less corrupt, I hear, simply because they have less kinsmen to embezzle for. As a result, the commoner’s tax burden actually decreased while our finances to no hit. Even in the eastern provinces, the governor are behaving better. The presence of the Jonow and the example of the wester provinces, seems...to have been effective.
I however think, there might be a dreading consequence to that. With the military firmly under our control of the Mansa, the local elite might feel oppressed and become rebellious. I think, you might want to give the Gbara more rights. This will appease the local elite, help to preserve internal peace and promote your legitimacy.Let me propose the following the 30 clans will keep their seats, but now each province will contribute a further two members[1]. Together, this assembly will be the sole body of legislature in the realm. This includes oversight over taxation and the budgeting of the resulting revenue. To pay for the Jonow, you will however keep all revenue from the gold trade.”
Saying this words, Mukhtar was not totally honest. In fact, he wanted this change primarily to have a counterweight to the power of the Mansa. With the Gbara being more and more marginalized by the military dominance of the sovereign, there would be no possibility to stop a tyrant ruler. And after the massacre in the East, he had realized that rulers like Ouali would require some institution to reign them in.
***
“Now on to religion”, Mukhtar continued, “To keep tribalism down and forge a truly united empire, there has to be an alternate pillar of loyalty for commoners and nobles alike. We should found a new Sufi tariqa with you at its head, call it Oualiyya. It shall give all Muslims south of the great desert a home to protect them and their interests. Because of that, we should make sure to have as inclusive and accepting teachings as possible. Yes, the conservative scholars in Arabia might call for our heads, but what shall they do?
This will also help to convert the commoners. Many of them still cling to the old ways – especially in the west.
I will have my students found lesser centers of learning devoted to the new Tariqa in the major cities. Using the decentralized organization of Sufi orders, the local centers will take root and establish minor branches in the rural regions surrounding the centers.
Also a minor, yet noticeable Jizya [2] shall we introduce, to give the more prosperous individuals a financial incentive to convert.
And finally, all the major families should send their sons to be educated in Timbuktu. You should make a start with your two boys. We will create a consitent number of literate future civil servants, well educated in logic, sciences and the Arabic script. Theology may have its place, but it should not rule supreme.
***
What we always should do as well, is write down what we discover. There is nothing worse than a discovery dying with its discoverer. As many people as possible should be able to read and write. I think we should try to formalize how to write Maninka. I am most certain the Djeli will be most helpful.
Remember, Ouali, I come from Andalusia. Compared to Garnatah, this land is backwards. Our economy is nothing. We don’t even have a currency! Or people are trading on gold dust, copper and salt. Nothing is standardized and the economy severely hindered by that. Let’s build a mint and establish a currency.
And we should do more to strengthen our economy. When we reduce the taxes, our peoplle will have more of an incentive to invest in their businesses. When we charge less today, we will earn more tomorrow.
Another thing we should work on is Communication. In Persia, I saw a technique that could work brilliantly here. It consisted of stations on the routes between administrative centers lined up in regular distances. These stations are equipped with messengers, horses and supply goods. One messenger would always carry a letter only to the next station. This is not cheap, but this the speed at which we can communicate through it, is unprecedented. This can help our adminsitration, but whenever possible our merchants should be as well allowed to use the system for a fee.
And my last proposal, it is maybe the most important. We have to lure knowledgeable individuals from all over the world here to help develop the country. We need capable administrators to teach us government, we need miners for all the gold and copper we have, we need shipwrights to make our rivers the roads of commerce they should be, we need architects to build building worthy of our might.
What we also need are water management experts. I have seen them work in Persia. With their help we can tame the seasonal rainfalls."
***
When Mukhtar ended his speech, he was fatigued. He was well into his fifties and had aged fast. Both his hair and his beard were white already. Yet finally he would be able to implement his ideas about society and politics. His last years would his most busy, he realized. When other men would retire, his work would only begin. And rightfully so - this ideas, this realm would be his legacy. Never had he married, not fathered any children. His ideas, he was sure, were the only things anyone the world would remember him for.
*****
Two years later the two men met again in the royal gardens. Ouali was overjoyed to tell his mentor that at last every obstacle between them and their sweeping plans were no more. However, Mukhtar was furious. He had heard of the cruelty in the East. “They may be heathens, but they are sill human beings”, the usually calm-mannered scholar roared, “Do I really have wasted so many years on you?”.
“Something had to be done. Any weakness and the Songhai would have taken up their arms, too.”, the enraged Mansa replied. For almost an hour the two men would scream at each other. Only would they finally see reason, when Ouali's son Mukhter tucked his fathers’ shirt. “father, what is so came by. “Father”, the six-year old price asked, what is so interesting about water?”. Ouali followed the boy’s outstretched arm with his eyes and saw his younger son, Abubakari, staring at the little pool in the garden. “He is doing that for over an hour now,” Mukhter explained.
Seeing his little boys, he realized that he should rather honor his adviser than beat up the elderly man. Without Mukhtar's his wisdom, advise and knowledge he probably would never even have been Mansa. Even his fist born, the heir to the Empire had he named after him.
After the little boy had rushed off to confront his brother directly, Ouali sincerely apologized to Mukhtar. The Andalusian accepted, yet could not not forget the events entirely. Anyway he was ready to lay out the plan for reform he had worked on for the past years. So he began to speak.
***
“Our loyalists effectively control ever more provinces. Especially, in the West the old has been totally replaced. In the East, the military is generally under our command while civil administration still lies with the local nobles. Most commoners like this change, I hear. While the former governors had usually ruled to the advantage of their own tribe and kin, the loyalists are more impartial. As foreigners, they do not have an affiliation to any group. Also they are much less corrupt, I hear, simply because they have less kinsmen to embezzle for. As a result, the commoner’s tax burden actually decreased while our finances to no hit. Even in the eastern provinces, the governor are behaving better. The presence of the Jonow and the example of the wester provinces, seems...to have been effective.
I however think, there might be a dreading consequence to that. With the military firmly under our control of the Mansa, the local elite might feel oppressed and become rebellious. I think, you might want to give the Gbara more rights. This will appease the local elite, help to preserve internal peace and promote your legitimacy.Let me propose the following the 30 clans will keep their seats, but now each province will contribute a further two members[1]. Together, this assembly will be the sole body of legislature in the realm. This includes oversight over taxation and the budgeting of the resulting revenue. To pay for the Jonow, you will however keep all revenue from the gold trade.”
Saying this words, Mukhtar was not totally honest. In fact, he wanted this change primarily to have a counterweight to the power of the Mansa. With the Gbara being more and more marginalized by the military dominance of the sovereign, there would be no possibility to stop a tyrant ruler. And after the massacre in the East, he had realized that rulers like Ouali would require some institution to reign them in.
***
“Now on to religion”, Mukhtar continued, “To keep tribalism down and forge a truly united empire, there has to be an alternate pillar of loyalty for commoners and nobles alike. We should found a new Sufi tariqa with you at its head, call it Oualiyya. It shall give all Muslims south of the great desert a home to protect them and their interests. Because of that, we should make sure to have as inclusive and accepting teachings as possible. Yes, the conservative scholars in Arabia might call for our heads, but what shall they do?
This will also help to convert the commoners. Many of them still cling to the old ways – especially in the west.
I will have my students found lesser centers of learning devoted to the new Tariqa in the major cities. Using the decentralized organization of Sufi orders, the local centers will take root and establish minor branches in the rural regions surrounding the centers.
Also a minor, yet noticeable Jizya [2] shall we introduce, to give the more prosperous individuals a financial incentive to convert.
And finally, all the major families should send their sons to be educated in Timbuktu. You should make a start with your two boys. We will create a consitent number of literate future civil servants, well educated in logic, sciences and the Arabic script. Theology may have its place, but it should not rule supreme.
***
What we always should do as well, is write down what we discover. There is nothing worse than a discovery dying with its discoverer. As many people as possible should be able to read and write. I think we should try to formalize how to write Maninka. I am most certain the Djeli will be most helpful.
Remember, Ouali, I come from Andalusia. Compared to Garnatah, this land is backwards. Our economy is nothing. We don’t even have a currency! Or people are trading on gold dust, copper and salt. Nothing is standardized and the economy severely hindered by that. Let’s build a mint and establish a currency.
And we should do more to strengthen our economy. When we reduce the taxes, our peoplle will have more of an incentive to invest in their businesses. When we charge less today, we will earn more tomorrow.
Another thing we should work on is Communication. In Persia, I saw a technique that could work brilliantly here. It consisted of stations on the routes between administrative centers lined up in regular distances. These stations are equipped with messengers, horses and supply goods. One messenger would always carry a letter only to the next station. This is not cheap, but this the speed at which we can communicate through it, is unprecedented. This can help our adminsitration, but whenever possible our merchants should be as well allowed to use the system for a fee.
And my last proposal, it is maybe the most important. We have to lure knowledgeable individuals from all over the world here to help develop the country. We need capable administrators to teach us government, we need miners for all the gold and copper we have, we need shipwrights to make our rivers the roads of commerce they should be, we need architects to build building worthy of our might.
What we also need are water management experts. I have seen them work in Persia. With their help we can tame the seasonal rainfalls."
***
When Mukhtar ended his speech, he was fatigued. He was well into his fifties and had aged fast. Both his hair and his beard were white already. Yet finally he would be able to implement his ideas about society and politics. His last years would his most busy, he realized. When other men would retire, his work would only begin. And rightfully so - this ideas, this realm would be his legacy. Never had he married, not fathered any children. His ideas, he was sure, were the only things anyone the world would remember him for.
*****
1] 15 Provinces at the time, putting the Gbara at 60 members.
[2] special Tax for non-Muslims
[3] Also known as the Griots. Pretty important guys at this time and place. (Wiki)
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SwampTiger
Banned
I like the direction you are going. The legislature is uni-cameral. Will the Mansa have a veto, or will he have limitations on his veto powers? Will the military and new bureaucrats become major players in government? Will we see a secular judiciary form to serve the non-Muslims?
I guess I will have to wait for this to coalesce.
Question on Islamic agriculture. Where does animal manure stand in Islamic tradition for fertilizing edible crops? Is there any religious concerns? Much of the Sahel and Saharan zones need additional fertilizer and organic matter added to improve fertility and water retention in the soils. Pasturing herds over fallow land can help improving the addition of biomass to soil. I am assuming such practices continued after the Islamization of civilizations.
I guess I will have to wait for this to coalesce.
Question on Islamic agriculture. Where does animal manure stand in Islamic tradition for fertilizing edible crops? Is there any religious concerns? Much of the Sahel and Saharan zones need additional fertilizer and organic matter added to improve fertility and water retention in the soils. Pasturing herds over fallow land can help improving the addition of biomass to soil. I am assuming such practices continued after the Islamization of civilizations.
SwampTiger
Banned
Actually we are getting ahead of the author and history in general. Centralization of power into the newly evolving empire will not allow anything we would see as democracy for another century or two. The ink of the Magna Carta is still wet, and Italian Republics are still oligarchies.
This is the equivalent of the English parliament though and this is there many carta bassicilly
Interesting question on the manure. I’m gonna look this up for sure.
In the end I can’t expect them to be stupid enough to stop fertilizing with manure. After all - I’m not aware of large-scale effective alternatives at the time and place.
Regarding religion, the ruling class is essentially Muslim by now (or at least accepting the superiority). Most pagans are living in the rural area and settle disputes according to the tradition of their clan or village. I think though that we will have to break up these structures in the future. Currently however it’s easier to not stretch the beaurocracy further and let them do as they please in these matters.
Regarding Executive influence in the Gbara, the Mansa as head of the (nominal) Keita clan has a voice and vote in the Gbara. No veto rights are currently available.
Regarding Military influence, formally there is none. Practically however, I would not rule out some kind of - at least temporary - influence by them
Regarding Bureaucracy, as the sons of important families/nobles some will be affiliated with the Gbara.
Gbara is not elected. While there are examples of a tribal “direct democracy”, using such a system in an extended region is not practicable under given circumstances (logistics, spread of information for example) imo.
Pretty much that. It basically gives a little seperation of power to compensate imbecile or cruel Mansas. Mainly it extends and solidifies what the Gbara did IOTL.
Longterm I expect a system vaguely similar to the English monarchy - with comparable advantages and issues.
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Reworked Chapter 5 quite a bit. It had issues ranging from bad style to typos and bad grammar.
Please never hurry me again into publishing something before it’s due haha
Please never hurry me again into publishing something before it’s due haha
markus meecham
Banned
*puts cattle prod back into drawer*Reworked Chapter 5 quite a bit. It had issues ranging from bad style to typos and bad grammar.
Please never hurry me again into publishing something before it’s due haha
Well i would never!
6. The Last Glance
Chapter VI – The Last Glance
The summer of 1333 was particularly hot and long, even by the standards of Timbuktu. The water level of the Joliba [1] was one of the lowest in recent memory and the realm was on the brink of a serious drought. The heat was even noticeable in the usually cool study of Mukhtar, where the old scholar had lived the past years. His body had continuously gotten weaker, but his mind had stayed astute as always. While leaving his chamber had already been a rare effort in the last months, even now he could have quoted entire chapters of Aristotle or Ibn Arabi from his mind. Now however, he was bound to his bed and convinced he had not much time left. “Do want some water?”, he heard Mukhter, the crown price, say. Lost in his thoughts he only nodded.
***
Now an adult the young crown prince had become the scholar's closest associate. Not only did the two men share a name, they seemed to share a mind. Gifted with an even higher intellect than his father, he lacked almost all of his vices. No cruelty whatsoever, no selfish desire for wealth. Yet still Mukhtar was afraid the young man wasn’t suited to become a ruler. While he possibly was one of the brightest minds in the known world, he lacked dedication. He could just disappear in his thoughts for a few days. Also he clearly was not strong willed or decisive. He could argue for an entire hour over which dinner he preferred. By the time he decided, his brother would already have eaten all of it, Mukhtar thought.
Abu, as Abubakari usually had his name shortened, was quite the opposite. A strong, quick-tempered rascal of mediocre intellect, the old scholar hadn’t really appreciated his presence in Timbuktu. Fortunately, he had gotten close to a shipwright Ouali had brought in from Andalusia. In the end, he married his daughter and went to the West with his new family, nominally overseeing the development of Malian vessels for river and sea travel. This marriage, however made him widely unpopular with the nobility and the influential clans. Subsequently, Prince Mukhter could not proceed with his initial plan to succeed his namesake in Timbuktu and have his brother take the throne.
***
While the fleet project Abu was overseeing may have been revolutionary south of the desert, it only had a minor impact on the reforms. By now, the Mande nobility considered themselves equal to the great dynasties of the Muslim world and their land kept evolving rapidly. It all really began after Ouali went on the Hajj in 1317. With thousands of men and hundreds of camels in his caravan he had traversed the great desert and taken the locals by shock due to his wealth. The resulting expenditure was a lot even by Ouali's standards, but he deliberately choose his appearance for propagandist reasons: Tales about his power, wealth and generosity spread and put Mali on the maps of Muslim states as a power equal to the mightiest of them.
Among the fame he spread were also the books and ideas of Mukhtar. Especially the “Treatise on Islam, conversion and peaceful coexistence” made quite a few eyebrows rise. Conservatives demonized it and called for the head of the author, while the most progressive scholars called it the biggest theological revelation since Ibn Arabi. Before he even reached Makkah, the book was one of the most important talking points in the local Madrasahs.
All along the way through the Maghreb, Egypt and Arabia proper Ouali and his emissaries actively recruited local talent. Promising Individuals, for example Administrators, scholars of all kinds, architects, shipwrights and especially water experts were targeted and lured into joining the caravan either by the desire to get to know Mukhtar, the perspective of a state actively supporting their studies or simply gold.
Ouali even went further. He sent emissaries to most of the important Muslim courts further spreading the word and clandestinely recruiting talent. They traveled to Andalusia, Anatolia, the Levant, Oman and Jemen. Some even went all the way to India. These emissaries were the apex alumni of the Timbuktuan academy. Aged around 25 to 30, they were perfect in Arabic, had knowledge of theology and science alike and excessive diplomatic and rhetoric training. Training and supporting them had cost a fortune but the gold of Bambuk had paid for it and the results were staggering. Within a few years, Mali was semi-legendary among the educated classes of the Muslim world and a steady influx of further talent would result, putting a growing number of specialists at the disposal of Ouali.
***
Both incoming theologians and Sufis and scientists reinforced the Academy of Timbuktu further, increasing the discourse and broaden the ideas available in the realm. By 1333 it had turned into one of the most prominent places of learning in the entire Muslim world. However, with the influx of different people new challenges arose. Confessional differences rivalries between the Sunni majority and the few Shia and Ibadi scholars occasionally arose and sometimes conservative elements criticized the liberal manners in wide parts of the realm.
However, these liberal manners were a huge part of the success Islam had in the region. Allowing some syncretic elements through the mystic tendencies of the Oualiyya eased former pagans into the religion for example. In effect, the Oualiyya more and more equaled Islam in the realm. And already had it spread beyond its borders: It had a sizable number of followers among the independent Songhai clans and some preachers were going south into the forests. Islamisation had been rapid and most of the Northern and Western provinces were dominated by Muslims already. Major pagan inlets were only still present in the Western coastal provinces and the rainforests south of Niani.
***
With the spread of literacy the demand of paper increased and its own industry slowly established itself on the outskirts of Timbuktu. In result to falling price due to increased production, paper became more affordable. Already written communication was the sole form of administrative communication and also become steadily more poular with the upper classes and the merchants. The written form of Maninka became the lingua franca of the realm.
In general it was also the upper class to benefit from the economic policies: Both the new currency and the messenger system helped them the most. Also they received most of the tax breaks and the new education options were primarily open to them.
In contrast, many of the rural peasants were not off any better. Quite the contrary, tensions started to spring up because of the growing inequality. The elite's way of life – including the members of the Gbara – kept diverging more and more from the rural peasant’s. It did not help this matter that most of the arriving specialists were used in the centers of the realm. For example, most water experts were deployed in the Macina region [2]. While their presence and innovations boosted the agricultural output of the region, many other regions stayed backwaters. Where the knowledge of specialists was deployed however, it had the power to transform the local economy. Where geological factors allowed it, caverns were dug out and water was stored during the rainy season only to use it for irrigation later. This greatly increased the arable land along the Niger and especially the Macina region. The population grew and with it the labor force – and as well the tax base. In many ways the axis from Niani to Timbuktu and Gao became the center of the realm.
To counter the inequality at least partly, Mukhtar had implemented a policy to train apprentices from all regions of the realm. Aim was to have them spread technology to their home once regions they had learned their craft. It was a slow process at best and not adapt to combat short-term inequalities, but better than nothing.
***
The maybe most underdeveloped region were the Western provinces. Yet especially the course of the Bakoye was considered strategically important. It connected the West to the Eastern core of the realm. To strengthen control over the region Ouali and Mukhtar had realized that it needed a center of sorts to attract loyal subjects from the East. Abu, while generally not considered the brightest fish in the pond, had become really fond of all things involving ships and water and proposed a naval academy. In the end, this idea had seemed rather good to Mukhtar and Ouali. However, the far west was still almost was a blank sheet in terms of infrastructure. There were no cities comparable to the Timbuku or Gao on the coastline, so Ouali finally decided they had to build one from scratch. This new city was set to be founded on an Island near the mouth of the Senegal. The island was chosen for two reasons: first, it was easily defended in case the West would ever rise again and secondly, the entire life of the residents should be centered around water in order to generate a tradition of seafaring.
So in 1320 the island was settled by around 3000 hand-picked men from all around the realm and their families. The settlement itself was built under the guidance of Egyptian architect as-Sahili, while Abubakari nominally oversaw the entire project. His father-in-law, an Andalusian shipwright by the name of Sa’ad al-Ahmer, would be in charge of the shipyard.
By 1333 the growing city known as Ndar in local Wolof had already developed to a local center of commerce and education. Building and using ships, however had proven much more tedious. Soon as-Sahili, al-Ahmer and Abu had realized that every single craft had to be taught from scratch first. At first the carpenters had no idea how to sow planks for a hull and finally, even after a ship was built, there were no sailors to sail it. Another issue was the shortage of trees in the region. While the city was located perfectly for communication and general strategic purposes, it did not have enough timber for a steady production. All these issues made the project lag behind other measures, while not yielding any major gains...
This naval experiment, Mukhtar concluded, might very well be the weakest part of the grand reform scheme.
"Your water", the crown prince said as he came back. Mukhtar thankfully drank some and then said: "I have to write. One more letter to your father"
Not long after he wrote the last word, the tireless scholar closed his eyes – to never open them again.
The summer of 1333 was particularly hot and long, even by the standards of Timbuktu. The water level of the Joliba [1] was one of the lowest in recent memory and the realm was on the brink of a serious drought. The heat was even noticeable in the usually cool study of Mukhtar, where the old scholar had lived the past years. His body had continuously gotten weaker, but his mind had stayed astute as always. While leaving his chamber had already been a rare effort in the last months, even now he could have quoted entire chapters of Aristotle or Ibn Arabi from his mind. Now however, he was bound to his bed and convinced he had not much time left. “Do want some water?”, he heard Mukhter, the crown price, say. Lost in his thoughts he only nodded.
***
Now an adult the young crown prince had become the scholar's closest associate. Not only did the two men share a name, they seemed to share a mind. Gifted with an even higher intellect than his father, he lacked almost all of his vices. No cruelty whatsoever, no selfish desire for wealth. Yet still Mukhtar was afraid the young man wasn’t suited to become a ruler. While he possibly was one of the brightest minds in the known world, he lacked dedication. He could just disappear in his thoughts for a few days. Also he clearly was not strong willed or decisive. He could argue for an entire hour over which dinner he preferred. By the time he decided, his brother would already have eaten all of it, Mukhtar thought.
Abu, as Abubakari usually had his name shortened, was quite the opposite. A strong, quick-tempered rascal of mediocre intellect, the old scholar hadn’t really appreciated his presence in Timbuktu. Fortunately, he had gotten close to a shipwright Ouali had brought in from Andalusia. In the end, he married his daughter and went to the West with his new family, nominally overseeing the development of Malian vessels for river and sea travel. This marriage, however made him widely unpopular with the nobility and the influential clans. Subsequently, Prince Mukhter could not proceed with his initial plan to succeed his namesake in Timbuktu and have his brother take the throne.
***
While the fleet project Abu was overseeing may have been revolutionary south of the desert, it only had a minor impact on the reforms. By now, the Mande nobility considered themselves equal to the great dynasties of the Muslim world and their land kept evolving rapidly. It all really began after Ouali went on the Hajj in 1317. With thousands of men and hundreds of camels in his caravan he had traversed the great desert and taken the locals by shock due to his wealth. The resulting expenditure was a lot even by Ouali's standards, but he deliberately choose his appearance for propagandist reasons: Tales about his power, wealth and generosity spread and put Mali on the maps of Muslim states as a power equal to the mightiest of them.
Among the fame he spread were also the books and ideas of Mukhtar. Especially the “Treatise on Islam, conversion and peaceful coexistence” made quite a few eyebrows rise. Conservatives demonized it and called for the head of the author, while the most progressive scholars called it the biggest theological revelation since Ibn Arabi. Before he even reached Makkah, the book was one of the most important talking points in the local Madrasahs.
All along the way through the Maghreb, Egypt and Arabia proper Ouali and his emissaries actively recruited local talent. Promising Individuals, for example Administrators, scholars of all kinds, architects, shipwrights and especially water experts were targeted and lured into joining the caravan either by the desire to get to know Mukhtar, the perspective of a state actively supporting their studies or simply gold.
Ouali even went further. He sent emissaries to most of the important Muslim courts further spreading the word and clandestinely recruiting talent. They traveled to Andalusia, Anatolia, the Levant, Oman and Jemen. Some even went all the way to India. These emissaries were the apex alumni of the Timbuktuan academy. Aged around 25 to 30, they were perfect in Arabic, had knowledge of theology and science alike and excessive diplomatic and rhetoric training. Training and supporting them had cost a fortune but the gold of Bambuk had paid for it and the results were staggering. Within a few years, Mali was semi-legendary among the educated classes of the Muslim world and a steady influx of further talent would result, putting a growing number of specialists at the disposal of Ouali.
***
Both incoming theologians and Sufis and scientists reinforced the Academy of Timbuktu further, increasing the discourse and broaden the ideas available in the realm. By 1333 it had turned into one of the most prominent places of learning in the entire Muslim world. However, with the influx of different people new challenges arose. Confessional differences rivalries between the Sunni majority and the few Shia and Ibadi scholars occasionally arose and sometimes conservative elements criticized the liberal manners in wide parts of the realm.
However, these liberal manners were a huge part of the success Islam had in the region. Allowing some syncretic elements through the mystic tendencies of the Oualiyya eased former pagans into the religion for example. In effect, the Oualiyya more and more equaled Islam in the realm. And already had it spread beyond its borders: It had a sizable number of followers among the independent Songhai clans and some preachers were going south into the forests. Islamisation had been rapid and most of the Northern and Western provinces were dominated by Muslims already. Major pagan inlets were only still present in the Western coastal provinces and the rainforests south of Niani.
***
With the spread of literacy the demand of paper increased and its own industry slowly established itself on the outskirts of Timbuktu. In result to falling price due to increased production, paper became more affordable. Already written communication was the sole form of administrative communication and also become steadily more poular with the upper classes and the merchants. The written form of Maninka became the lingua franca of the realm.
In general it was also the upper class to benefit from the economic policies: Both the new currency and the messenger system helped them the most. Also they received most of the tax breaks and the new education options were primarily open to them.
In contrast, many of the rural peasants were not off any better. Quite the contrary, tensions started to spring up because of the growing inequality. The elite's way of life – including the members of the Gbara – kept diverging more and more from the rural peasant’s. It did not help this matter that most of the arriving specialists were used in the centers of the realm. For example, most water experts were deployed in the Macina region [2]. While their presence and innovations boosted the agricultural output of the region, many other regions stayed backwaters. Where the knowledge of specialists was deployed however, it had the power to transform the local economy. Where geological factors allowed it, caverns were dug out and water was stored during the rainy season only to use it for irrigation later. This greatly increased the arable land along the Niger and especially the Macina region. The population grew and with it the labor force – and as well the tax base. In many ways the axis from Niani to Timbuktu and Gao became the center of the realm.
To counter the inequality at least partly, Mukhtar had implemented a policy to train apprentices from all regions of the realm. Aim was to have them spread technology to their home once regions they had learned their craft. It was a slow process at best and not adapt to combat short-term inequalities, but better than nothing.
***
The maybe most underdeveloped region were the Western provinces. Yet especially the course of the Bakoye was considered strategically important. It connected the West to the Eastern core of the realm. To strengthen control over the region Ouali and Mukhtar had realized that it needed a center of sorts to attract loyal subjects from the East. Abu, while generally not considered the brightest fish in the pond, had become really fond of all things involving ships and water and proposed a naval academy. In the end, this idea had seemed rather good to Mukhtar and Ouali. However, the far west was still almost was a blank sheet in terms of infrastructure. There were no cities comparable to the Timbuku or Gao on the coastline, so Ouali finally decided they had to build one from scratch. This new city was set to be founded on an Island near the mouth of the Senegal. The island was chosen for two reasons: first, it was easily defended in case the West would ever rise again and secondly, the entire life of the residents should be centered around water in order to generate a tradition of seafaring.
So in 1320 the island was settled by around 3000 hand-picked men from all around the realm and their families. The settlement itself was built under the guidance of Egyptian architect as-Sahili, while Abubakari nominally oversaw the entire project. His father-in-law, an Andalusian shipwright by the name of Sa’ad al-Ahmer, would be in charge of the shipyard.
By 1333 the growing city known as Ndar in local Wolof had already developed to a local center of commerce and education. Building and using ships, however had proven much more tedious. Soon as-Sahili, al-Ahmer and Abu had realized that every single craft had to be taught from scratch first. At first the carpenters had no idea how to sow planks for a hull and finally, even after a ship was built, there were no sailors to sail it. Another issue was the shortage of trees in the region. While the city was located perfectly for communication and general strategic purposes, it did not have enough timber for a steady production. All these issues made the project lag behind other measures, while not yielding any major gains...
This naval experiment, Mukhtar concluded, might very well be the weakest part of the grand reform scheme.
"Your water", the crown prince said as he came back. Mukhtar thankfully drank some and then said: "I have to write. One more letter to your father"
Not long after he wrote the last word, the tireless scholar closed his eyes – to never open them again.
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It’s a start. So far no one native in that entire realm has ever sailed anything bigger and more complex than dugout. And apart from the ocean the west so far has not a lot to offer compared to the east.
We will see the shipbuilding technique either develop or die off. I have so far not decided.
Maybe we’ll see Abubakari fulfilling his destiny, maybe not.
Yeah they got no expirence with complex ships.
Definitely the desert regions will lose more and more relevance. Also Gao should longterm lose out to Timbuktu. Regarding Djenne, so far I have not decided.
But I agree - Incase Mali Starts sea trading the west will become very important.
However - right now I feel like I have to create artificial obstacles to prevent this ending ina wank haha