MALI VOCABULARY
Title a piece of paper Mali Vocabulary.
Write down the vocabulary word and the definitions.
CHIEF
a leader or ruler of a people or clan
leader
ruler
big shot
big wig
The Malinke were led by a great chief named Sundiata.
SCHOLARSHIP
learning
knowledge
Timbuktu became a famous center of Islamic
scholarship.
SUBJECT
a citizen or member of a state other than its king
citizen of a kingdom
Mansa Musa was a devoted Muslim. However, he
allowed his subjects to practice other religions.
PILGRIMAGE
a journey to a sacred place
religious journey
hajj
crusade
In 1324, Mansa Musa began a pilgrimage to Mecca,
fulfilling one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
CARAVAN
a group of people, like traders
or pilgrims, traveling together
Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage greatly
impressed those who saw the
caravan of gold.
FINANCIAL
relating to money or
economics
West African gold also enriched
Europe and provided financial
support for the European
Renaissance, which you will
read about later in in the year.
ARCHITECT
a person who designs
buildings
Mansa Musa returned to
Mali with an architect and
Arab scholars from Egypt.
THEOLOGY
theos - Greek for God
the study of the nature of God and
religious belief
DESCENDANT
a person, plant, or animal that comes from
a particular ancestor
offspring, progeny, family, lineage
After Mansa Musa’s death, his descendants
argued about who should be the next
ruler of Mali.
PRESENT-DAY
current, modern, up-to-date, up-to-the-minute,
fashionable, trend-setting, the latest
However, Mansa Musa is still remembered in the
present-day country of Mali and some of the
mosques he built are still standing.