The
Bamana Empire (also
Bambara Empire or
Ségou Empire) was a large
West African state based at
Ségou, now in
Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established c. 1640 by
Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u. The empire existed as a centralized state from 1712 to the 1861 invasion of
Toucouleur conqueror El Hadj
Umar Tall.