But traditional religion persisted ... that was all part of the empire of Mali. So territorial position was one of the greatest differences between Ghana and Mali. And also, the kind of ties ...

The 13th century saw the rise of Mansas and the Empire of Mali. The Mansas brought huge wealth and established Islam as the main religion. They created centres of learning and culture at Timbuktu ...

The Mali Empire was the center of the world’s gold ... which continues to be the predominant religion in many modern West African states. Timbuktu also became the heart of Islamic education ...