Mansa Musa's Astronomy: The Star Charts of Sankore

Mansa Musa's Mali Empire was not just a source of gold and scholarship—it was also a hub of astronomical observation. Before European Renaissance astronomers mapped the southern skies, West African scholars at Sankore in Timbuktu were tracking stars, predicting seasons, and aligning mosques to Mecca. Lucas and Luna explore the celestial knowledge that guided Mali's farmers, navigated its caravans, and timed its prayers. From the star 'Sulaiman' (Canopus) to the lunar calendars of the Mande, they uncover how Mali's astronomers merged Islamic science with indigenous knowledge. Did Mali's scholars influence later European astronomy? What happened to the star charts after the empire's decline? This episode traces the sky above the Sahel. #MansaMusa #MaliEmpire #Timbuktu #Sankore #Astronomy #StarCharts #Canopus #Sahel #IslamicAstronomy #Mande #WestAfrica #HistoryOfScience #LunarCalendar #CaravanNavigation #PreColumbianAstronomy #AfricanHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo