Malian culture, rich and diverse, is rooted in an age-old history. The region that now comprises the Republic of Mali was the cradle of great civilizations, whose fame expanded beyond the African continent at the same time Europe was experiencing a significant decline after the fall of the Roman Empire. For at least a thousand years, the country has been traversed from north to south, east to west by people carrying with them not only products, but also ideas and beliefs. This trans-Saharan trade brought Islam, which has progressively established itself in Mali since the 8th century, particularly in the Saharan and Sahelian zones. The wealth of the Ghana Empire (8th to 11th century), Mali Empire (13th to 15th century), and Songhaï Empire (15th to 16th century) attracted the attention of the Muslim and European worlds, whose merchants and intellectuals came to Mali by the hundreds. In the course of these eight centuries, called the Golden Age, Mali made an immeasurable contribution to world history and culture.