Mali’s first ruler was Sundiata. The oral history of the griots says Sundiata was a sickly child who had trouble walking. Exercise and hard work made him strong. He became a great military leader. By 1250, he had led the Mandinka people against their enemies, won control of the gold trade routes, and founded the empire of Mali. Some of the soldiers in his army might have looked like the horseman in this Malian sculpture from the 1300s.
