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Key Stage 2 · Upper KS2 (Years 5–6)

Mansa Musa: The Emperor Who Travelled with Gold

The West African ruler whose 1324 journey to Makkah made his empire famous across the world.

Suitable for pupils in Years 5–6 (ages 9–11).

KS2Upper KS2 (Years 5–6)
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Learning objectives

  • ✓Locate the Mali Empire on a map of Africa.
  • ✓Describe Mansa Musa's famous journey (hajj) in 1324.
  • ✓Explain how we know about Mansa Musa today.

Background information

In the 1300s, one of the richest and largest empires in the world was in West Africa. It was called the Mali Empire, and its ruler was called Mansa Musa.

In 1324 Mansa Musa set off on a long journey to the city of Makkah. He travelled with thousands of people, camels and horses, and he took huge amounts of gold with him. When he arrived in Cairo (in Egypt), he gave away so much gold that people wrote about it for many years afterwards.

Back home, Mansa Musa supported schools, libraries and beautiful mosques, especially in the city of Timbuktu. Timbuktu became known across Africa, Europe and the Middle East as a place of learning.

Discussion questions

  1. Why do you think people all over the world remembered Mansa Musa's journey?
  2. Timbuktu was famous for its books and scholars. What can books tell us about a place?
  3. Which sources help us know about someone who lived 700 years ago?

Classroom activity ideas

  • ◆Journey map: on an outline map, trace a route from Mali to Makkah and mark cities Mansa Musa passed through.
  • ◆Packing list: decide what a great emperor might need to take on a journey lasting more than a year.
  • ◆Source detective: look at a copy of the Catalan Atlas (1375) picture of Mansa Musa and list three things you can notice.

Suggested writing task

Imagine you are a traveller who meets Mansa Musa's caravan in the desert. Write a short journal entry describing what you see, hear and think.

Quiz questions

  1. In which part of Africa was the Mali Empire?

    • A. North Africa
    • B. East Africa
    • C. West Africa(answer)
    • D. South Africa

  2. In what year did Mansa Musa make his famous journey?

    • A. 1066
    • B. 1324(answer)
    • C. 1492
    • D. 1666

  3. Which city in Mali became famous for its scholars and libraries?

    • A. Cairo
    • B. Lagos
    • C. Timbuktu(answer)
    • D. Kingston

  4. Why is the Catalan Atlas (1375) useful to us?

    • A. It shows Mansa Musa on an old map(answer)
    • B. It is a modern textbook
    • C. It is a photograph
    • D. It is a computer game

Answers are shown here for teachers. Print the pupil version from Activities and Downloads.