Latest / Mansa Musa: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived — Fexingo History / Mansa Musa's Astronomy: The Star Charts of Sankore
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Mansa Musa's gold, his hajj, his libraries. But there's one aspect of his empire that I think is really underappreciated, and that's astronomy. The Mali Empire had a sophisticated understanding of the night sky, and Timbuktu was a center for studying it. Luna: Astronomy? I didn't know that. What were they looking at? Lucas: Well, for one thing, they were tracking the star we call Canopus. It's the second-brightest star in the night sky, but it's only visible from certain latitudes. In West Africa, it rises prominently during the dry season. Lucas: The Mande people had a name for it: 'Sulaiman.' They used its appearance to mark the start of the dry season, which was crucial for agriculture, for planning caravans across the Sahara, and even for timing religious festivals. Luna: So they had a practical calendar based on the stars. That makes sense. Lucas: Exactly. And it wasn't just folk tradition. At the Sankore madrasa in Timbuktu, scholars studied astronomy as part of the Islamic sciences. They had instruments like the astrolabe, and they wrote treatises on star positions. Lucas: One of the most famous scholars, Ahmed Baba, who you'll remember from the library episode, was known to have a deep knowledge of astronomy. He wrote about the lunar calendar and how to align prayers with celestial events. Luna: Did any of their star charts survive? Lucas: Some did, in the Timbuktu manuscripts. There are texts that list star names in Arabic and in local languages, with notes on their rising and setting times. But many were lost during the Moroccan invasion in the late 16th century, and later when the empire crumbled. Lucas: What's fascinating is that this knowledge wasn't isolated. Muslim astronomers in North Africa and the Middle East were in contact with scholars in Mali. Mansa Musa's hajj itself brought astronomers and scholars back with him, like the architect al-Sahili. Luna: Al-Sahili was primarily an architect, right? But he might have brought scientific knowledge too? Lucas: Possibly. He was a Granada-born polymath, so he would have been familiar with the astronomical traditions of al-Andalus. And the mosques he built in Timbuktu — like Djinguereber — are aligned toward Mecca with remarkable precision, which requires astronomical calculation. Lucas: So the star knowledge wasn't just theoretical; it was built into the very fabric of the city. Luna: I've heard that some historians think Mali's astronomy might have indirectly influenced European exploration. Is that true? Lucas: There's a theory, though it's speculative. Some argue that knowledge of the southern skies — like the Southern Cross — which European navigators used later, might have been transmitted through North African trade routes. But we don't have direct evidence linking it to Mali. Lucas: What we do know is that the star Sulaiman, or Canopus, was critical for trans-Saharan caravans. The Mande merchants used it to navigate at night, much like Polynesians used other stars. It was a guide across the vast emptiness of the desert. Luna: And the Mali Empire controlled those trade routes. So astronomy was literally the key to their economy. Lucas: Right. The farba, the provincial governors, would have relied on astronomers to time the grain harvests and the gold shipments. The jeliw, the griots, also preserved astronomical lore in their oral traditions. Lucas: One griot tradition tells of a star that fell from the sky and guided Sundiata Keita, the founder of the empire, to victory. That's likely a metaphor for a meteor or a comet. Luna: So the stars were woven into their history and identity. That's beautiful. Lucas: It really is. And it's a reminder that the Mali Empire wasn't just about gold and wealth — it was a place of serious intellectual pursuit. Astronomy was one of those fields that connected the practical and the spiritual. Luna: Speaking of connection — you know, it's amazing that we can still talk about this today, thanks to the manuscripts and oral traditions. And it's also thanks to shows like this one that keep these stories alive. Lucas: Yeah. And you know, we try to make these episodes as accessible as possible. We don't run ads — it's a choice we made from the start. If you appreciate that, and you want to support us, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it helps keep the show ad-free and focused on the history. Luna: And it really does make a difference. Every little bit helps us dig into topics like this one. Lucas: So back to the stars — one thing I find fascinating is that after Mansa Musa's reign, the astronomical tradition continued at Sankore for centuries. Even after the empire weakened, scholars kept observing and writing. Lucas: But by the 18th century, many of the manuscripts had been scattered or hidden. Some were rediscovered in the 20th century, and today they're being digitized. So the star charts of Sankore are slowly coming back to light. Luna: That's incredible. So we're literally rediscovering lost knowledge. Lucas: Exactly. And it changes how we see world history. Africa wasn't just a recipient of knowledge from Europe or the Middle East — it was a contributor. The Mali Empire had its own scientific tradition, and it was part of a global conversation. Luna: I'll never look at Canopus the same way again. Lucas: And that's really the point. When we look at the night sky, we're seeing the same stars that Mansa Musa's scholars saw. They asked the same questions about time and direction and meaning. And in their own way, they found answers.