He was also the great-uncle of the Malian ruler Mansa Musa, who is usually regarded as the wealthiest person of all time,[10][11] although there are no reliable ways to accurately calculate his wealth.

The epic poem is primarily known through oral tradition, transmitted by generations of Maninka griots (djeli or jeliw).

When King Soumaoro Kanté of Sosso conquered the Mandinka people, messengers were sent to go and look for Sogolon and her children, as Sundiata was destined to be a great leader according to prophecy.

[24] The proper English spelling of Sundiata's name is Sunjata, pronounced soon-jah-ta, approaching the actual pronunciation in the original Mandinka.

[35] After his victory at Kirina, Sundiata took control of the former conquered states of the Sosso and appropriated privileges among those who participated in the defeat of Soumaoro.

He went on to state that: In his piece in the General History of Africa, Volume 4, p. 133, Djibril Tamsir Niane alludes to Sundiata being a Muslim.

[40] The explorer Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali during the reign of Sundiata's great-nephew Suleyman, claimed that Mansa Musa's grandfather was named Sariq Jata and had converted to Islam.

Some Muslim griots later added to the epic of Sundiata by claiming that Sundiata has "an ancestral origin among the companions of Muhammad in Mecca" (namely, Bilal Ibn Rabah)[42] and speaks of himself as a successor to Dhu al-Qarnayn, a conqueror and king mentioned in the Quran, commonly regarded as a reference to Alexander the Great[dubious – discuss].

[43] After his victory at Kirina, Mansa Sundiata established his capital at Niani, near the present-day Malian border with Guinea.

After defeating the former ally of Soumaoro, Tiramakhan ventured deep into present-day Senegal, the Gambia and Guinea Bissau and conquered them.

[48] Although the conquered states were answerable to the Mansa (king) of Mali, Sundiata was not an absolute monarch despite what the title implies.

Though he probably wielded popular authority, the Mali Empire was reportedly run like a federation with each tribe having a chief representative at the court.

[52] The Empire flourished from the 13th to the late 14th century[13] but began to decline as some vassal states threw away the yoke of Mali and regained their independence.

[57] At present, the generally accepted cause of death is drowning in the Sankarani River, where a shrine that bears his name still remains today (Sundiata-dun meaning Sundiata's deep water).

The famous and notably ostentatious[59] West African ruler Mansa Musa was Sundiata Keita's great-nephew.

[10] A strong army was a major contributor to the success of Imperial Mali during the reign of Mansa Sundiata Keita.

[48] However, in a wider perspective of 13th century West African military history, Sundiata stood out as a great leader who was able to command the loyalties of his generals and army.

[48][60] It was during his reign that Mali first began to become an economic power, a trend continued by his successors and improved on thanks to the ground work set by Sundiata, who controlled the region's trade routes and gold fields.

[51] "By unifying the military force of 12 states, Sundiata becomes an emperor known as the Lion King of Mali, who controls tribes from the Niger River west to the Atlantic Ocean.

"[62] From a global perspective, the Epic of Sundiata and the Mali Empire is taught in many schools, colleges and universities, not just in West Africa but in many parts of the World.

[15][63][64] Some scholars such as Ellen Snodgrass and others have observed similarities with the 13th-century Epic of Sundiata to Walt Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King.

[66] The video game Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms contains a five-chapter campaign depicting Sundjata.