Twelve Doors of Mali

The Twelve Doors of Mali were the possessions of the mansa (emperor) of the medieval Mali Empire starting in around 1235. These lands were either allied to or conquered by Sundiata Keita on his campaign to free the Mandinka heartland from the Susu kingdom of Kaniaga.

The Twelve Doors

Siginificance

The twelve doors were the base of the Manden Kurufa (Manden Federation). With future conquest and re-organization they would transform into the provinces of the Mali Empire. They remained important in the political and military circles of imperial power until the end of the Mali Empire in 1645.