The Twelve Doors of Mali were the possessions of the mansa (emperor) of the medieval Mali Empire

Mali Empire

The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...

 starting in around 1235. These lands were either allied to or conquered by Sundiata Keita

Sundiata Keita

Sundiata Keita, Sundjata Keyita, Mari Djata I or just Sundiata was the founder of the Mali Empire and celebrated as a hero of the Malinke people of West Africa in the semi-historical Epic of Sundiata....

 on his campaign to free the Mandinka

Mandinka people

The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....

 heartland from the Susu

Susu

Susu may refer to:* The Ganges and Indus River Dolphin* The Susu or Soussou, an ethnic group in Guinea* The Susu language, language spoken by this ethnic group* The Sosso Empire, a twelfth-century Takrur kingdom of West Africa...

kingdom of Kaniaga.

The Twelve Doors

• Bambougou; conquered by Fakoli Koroma
• The land of the Bozo river tribe; allied to Mali
• Djedeba; allied to Mali
• Do; from which all Keita queens would be picked; allied to Mali
• Jalo; conquered by Fran Kamara
• Kaniaga; conquered by Mari Djata I
• Kri of the; allied to Mali
• Oualata; conquered by Mari Djata I
• Sibi; allied to Mali
• Tabon of the; allied to Mali
• Toron of the; allied to Mali
• Zaghari of the; allied to Mali

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.