Hi readers! I have made it safely to Mali and just in time for me to attend a service at a nearby mosque! Mosque's are crucial to the culture of the Mali Empire. I have learned so much in my time being here already, and i'm so excited to tell you all about the history i've learned so far relating to the development of the Islamic faith, and how it has garnered the importance here in Mali that it has today! The Islamic faith was brought over to Mali through the same trade routes I was using on my trip over! It became so popular due to the fact that it could be written down and those writings could be passed and traded on the trading route. Mansa Musa was the first king of the Mali Empire to convert to Islam, and from thereon many others did the same. Musa made a journey to Mecca, called the Hajj. Perhaps my next trip will be a Hajj of my own! Upon his return from Mecca, he worked to create more mosques and expand the ones already in Mali. In the city of Timbuktu (which I hope to get to see later!) Mansa Musa built two very large mosques and the city became a place for learning Islam with the islamic university center. With the islamic faith becoming the new standard practice in Mali, mosques became essential for those living here. What I've observed from the citizens of Mali is that they take the following of the Koran very seriously. They try to practice it exactly and go to services at nearby mosques very frequently. While the following of Islam is very important to many of the people here, the religion is not enforced by law. Those residing here in Mali are free to practice their religion of choice but most choose to follow a version of Islam with some people combining local traditions into the traditional Islamic beliefs. Many of these traditions involve music and I wish I could describe the sounds I've heard in some of the mosques so that you could hear it too! I'll do my best. I heard mostly harp and drums. I've discovered that the harp is called a Kora here in Mali and it's actually a variation of a lute and a harp combined to make a new instrument. The drums I heard were not actually one type of drum, but many different drums. The ones I found most interesting were called tabales. Well, i'm signing off for now, but i'll see you all tomorrow!