Ancient Mali Study Guide
Test on:_____________________
The students need to know:
 Mali was located in West Africa. They should be able to locate it on a
map
 Mali fell between the Sahara Desert and the salt mines to the north and
the gold mines to the southwest
 People of Mali needed salt for their health and for preserving food
 The city of Timbuktu became an important trading center because it
was between the salt and the gold mines. Also known for its university
and library containing Greek and Roman books
 Traders used silent bartering as a means to exchange salt for gold
because they could not speak each other’s languages
 Mali was located close the Niger River, which filled most of their needs
for water in the middle of a desert-like land
 The “oral traditions of Mali” refers to the story tellers, or griots. The
griots passed along the history of Mali from one generation to the next.
This is how we know so much about their culture
 The government was a monarchy(made up of kings) The kings were
rich powerful men who made Mali an important trading center
 The people of Mali were farmers, traders, and miners