Mansa Musa's Mande-Crossing Economic Empire: The Dyula Network

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the trading network that powered the Mali Empire under Mansa Musa — the dyula, a hereditary class of Mande-speaking merchants who connected West Africa from the salt mines of Taghaza to the goldfields of Bambuk and Bure, and across the Sahara to North Africa and the Middle East. Drawing on accounts from al-Umari, Ibn Battuta, and the Tarikh al-Sudan, they examine how the dyula operated as independent traders under the protection of the farba (provincial governors), trading gold, salt, kola nuts, and slaves. They discuss the silent trade of Wangara, the role of the mithqal and tibar as currency, and the cultural impact of the dyula in spreading Islam and the Mande language across the Sahel. This episode focuses on the economic infrastructure that made Mansa Musa's wealth possible, going beyond the hajj and Timbuktu to the everyday commerce that sustained the empire. #MansaMusa #Dyula #MaliEmpire #TransSaharanTrade #Wangara #Bambuk #Bure #Taghaza #SilentTrade #Mande #GoldTrade #SaltTrade #AlUmari #IbnBattuta #TarikhAlSudan #WestAfricanHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo