Why Did Mali Become A Site Of Cultural Exchange

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Resources, trade, and Muslim travelers allowed Mali to become a site of cultural exchange. The Empire of Mali lasted from the 1200s to 1464 CE, in West Africa. Mali traded and interacted a lot with Muslim travelers/scholars and Arab merchants. The scholars converted the Berber People(nomads) and West Africans to Islam. There were universities (such as the university at Timbuktu) where students studied the Quran, Islam religion, history, logic, or astronomy. This meant there was tons of spreading of Islam, and trade. Another reason for Mali being a site of cultural exchange was its resources. Mali had a huge supply of gold and salt. Berber people would cross the Sahara, taking the salt South, and the gold North, and this was very profitable.