Mansa Musa, Mali’s greatest leader, was said to be the richest man alive. He ruled for twenty-five years, from 1312 to 1337. During these times, Mansa Musa gained control of important trade routes and helped spread Islam. However, the question is, what contributed more, Islam or geography, to the wealth and power of the West African Empires. Most people would say that Islam was the main factor. But others would argue and say that geography was the main factor. It was proven, however, that geography was the main factor for creating the wealth and power in the West African Empires. The reason to why this is true is because of the salt and gold trade, when caravans from Djenne came to Timbuktu, and the trade routes. One reason to why geography …show more content…
Source #6 points out that, “people going to Djenne to trade, reaps a large amount of profit. So because of Djenne, many caravans came to Timbuktu as well. But because, new caravans came to Timbuktu, it was more people to tax, which also gave them a large amount of profit. The third reason to why geography was the main factor for creating wealth and power in the West African Empires, is because of the trade routes. The West African Empires were located near the Niger River. This gave them an advantage because people could travel by boat to trade. But according to the map on Source #4, the Empires were right between the salt and gold mines, which was a reasonable place for trade. Mansa Musa, Mali’s greatest leader, was said to be the richest man alive. He ruled for twenty-five years, from 1312 to 1337. But during these times, Mansa Musa gained control of important trade routes and helped spread Islam. Though, the question is, what contributed more, Islam or geography, to the wealth and power of the West African Empires. Most people would say that Islam was the main factor. Others would argue and say that geography was the main factor. But the answer is quiet simple. Geography was the main factor for creating the wealth and power in the West African Empires. The reason to why this is true is because of the salt and gold trade, when caravans from Djenne came to Timbuktu,