Ghana, Mali and Songhai: gold, salt and Timbuktu
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet
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Mansa Musa's journey to Cairo, 1324 (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, a map note: Musa ruled Mali, which grew rich from the same trade in gold and salt. In 1324 he traveled from Mali across the Sahara to Cairo, in Egypt, with a large company. Card B, al-Umari, a scholar who lived in Cairo, in a book of the late 1330s: he wrote that Musa gave out so much gold that its price in Cairo fell, and that the effect lasted for years. He said he learned this from people in Cairo. Card C, a historian's note: most surviving accounts of the visit were written in Egypt, by people who did not travel with Musa.
Where did al-Umari get his information about the gold, Bo asks?
- From Musa's own court, as he traveled with the company
- From the account written by Musa himself
- From people in Cairo, years after the visit
- From a map note that lists the gold trade routes
A student says, "Card B proves gold lost value in Cairo for years." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?
- Weak: a scholar's book cannot be used as evidence about prices
- Strong: al-Umari lived in Cairo, so he could see the gold price himself
- Weak: it is one report by a writer who learned it later from others
- Strong: card C confirms al-Umari's account with Musa's own words
Going by card B, which chain explains why gold lost value in Cairo, Jun asks?
- The price of gold fell, so Musa gave out a great deal of it
- Much gold was given out in Cairo, so gold became less scarce
- Musa sold gold cheaply to Cairo's merchants, who then sold it more dearly
- Musa traveled to Cairo, and the price of gold fell, with nothing in between
How might a person in Cairo and a person in Mali each see Musa's journey, Kira asks?
- Cairo may recall gold and prices; Mali may recall its ruler's power
- Cairo may remember its ruler's power; Mali may remember prices changing
- Both would remember the journey exactly the same way
- Neither would remember it, since the journey was long ago
Cards A and B both concern gold. What do they support together, Luz asks?
- Mali bought gold in Cairo, which is why the price of gold fell
- Mali was rich in gold, and a gift of it could affect Cairo's prices
- Mali was the richest empire in the world, and its gold set the price in each city
- The cards cannot be used together, since one is a map note
A new record from Cairo says the price of gold was falling before 1324. What does it do to card B, Milo asks?
- It weakens the claim that Musa alone caused the fall
- It shows Musa had no effect on gold prices in any way
- It strengthens the claim that Musa alone caused the fall
- It shows al-Umari wrote his book before 1324
Why might people in Cairo have told al-Umari about the gold, Noah asks?
- It was a vivid event that had touched Cairo's markets
- They were ordered by Musa to praise Mali to visiting scholars
- They wished to show that Mali was the richest empire in the world
- They were paid by al-Umari to write down the gold's price
A student says, "Card C shows Mali's side of the journey was never told." How strong is that claim, Pia asks?
- Strong: card C says Musa wrote an account that has been lost
- Weak: card C says most accounts are Egyptian, not that none are Malian
- Weak: accounts written in Egypt cannot tell us anything about Mali's own side
- Strong: most accounts are Egyptian, so no account from Mali exists
Suppose, as an example, a weight of gold bought 100 silver pieces in Cairo before the visit and 80 after. By what percent did its price fall, Tala asks?
- 2 percent
- 80 percent
- 25 percent
- 20 percent
What should a historian ask first about card B, Zee asks?
- Who told al-Umari this, and what did they know about the gold?
- Whether Musa gave out gold, since al-Umari's report settles it
- How many pages al-Umari's book had when it was first copied
- What later writers of the 1900s thought about the gold