Mali Empire · 1324-1325

Mansa Musa's journey to Mecca

In 1324 the ruler of Mali crossed the Sahara on pilgrimage with so much gold that its value fell in Cairo. Students follow the most famous royal journey of the Middle Ages and ask what Mali gained from it.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
10–13
On the map
3 steps, AD 1324
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1324 the ruler of Mali crossed the Sahara on pilgrimage with so much gold that its value fell in Cairo. Students follow the most famous royal journey of the Middle Ages and ask what Mali gained from it.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Trace Mansa Musa's route from the Niger to Cairo and Mecca on the map.
  • Explain why giving away large amounts of gold lowered its value in Cairo.
  • Describe what Mansa Musa brought back to Mali and why it lasted longer than the gold.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1324

Play the story

Open Stories and play Mali and the Golden King to chapter 2, Mansa Musa's hajj. What does it say happened to the economy of Cairo?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1324

The road to Cairo

Stay in 1324, turn on Cities and zoom out. Trace a route from Timbuktu to Cairo. Which desert and which states would the caravan cross?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1324

How big was Mali?

Look at the borders of Mali in 1324. How far does it stretch from the Atlantic coast towards the east? Compare it with a country you know.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why would a king travel thousands of kilometers on pilgrimage and stay away from his empire for many months?
  2. Mansa Musa gave away so much gold in Cairo that its value fell. Why does too much gold make each piece worth less?
  3. After the hajj, Mansa Musa brought scholars and builders back to Mali. Why might that last longer than the gold he spent?
  4. On a European map made in 1375, Mansa Musa sits on a throne holding gold. What does that show about how Europeans saw Mali?
  5. Some call Mansa Musa the richest person in history. Why is that so hard to measure?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Mansa Musa. Before you start, ask students what they would do with the gold of Mali. Afterwards, compare their choices with his hajj of 1324 and the mosques and schools he paid for.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.