The Marka originated from
Soninke people from
Wagadu Empire who migrated to the middle Niger between the 11th and 13th centuries. The term 'Maraka' means 'men who rule' in
Bambara, which may have originated as a term for the colonists from Wagadu or merely as a term of respect. All four were at various times prominent trading and religious centers.
Muslim merchant communities at the time of the
Bambara Empire, the Maraka largely controlled the desert-side trade between the
Sahel and nomadic
Berbers and
Moors of the
Sahara. Their economy was based on slave plantation agriculture growing food and cotton to be traded. The Bambara integrated Maraka communities into their state structure, and Maraka trading posts and plantations multiplied in the
Segu based state and its
Kaarta vassals in the 18th and early 19th centuries. When the Bambara Empire (which practiced
African spirituality) was defeated by the Maraka's fellow Muslim
Umar Tall in the 1850s, the Maraka's unique trade and landholdings concessions suffered damage from which they never recovered. ==Today==