Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire in the 14th century with unimaginable wealth. However, he was more than just a rich king. For instance, he put West Africa on the global map literally and figuratively. Furthermore, he transformed Timbuktu into a center of learning that rivaled European universities. Consequently, his legacy influences the world even today. Therefore, get ready to discover the golden history of this legendary emperor.
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa is likely the richest person in history. In fact, experts estimate his wealth would be worth $400 billion today.
His title “Mansa” actually means “Sultan” or “Emperor.” Therefore, Musa was his birth name, not his royal title.
He ruled the Mali Empire at its absolute peak. Specifically, his territory stretched across modern-day Mali, Senegal, and Gambia.
His predecessor, Abu Bakr II, disappeared at sea. He sailed into the Atlantic with 2,000 ships to find new lands.
Mansa Musa traveled to Mecca with 60,000 people. Consequently, this caravan looked like a moving city crossing the desert.
His servants wore the finest Persian silk. Additionally, 500 of them carried staffs made entirely of solid gold.
He gave away so much gold in Cairo that he crashed the economy. Thus, inflation ruined the city for over a decade.
Surprisingly, he tried to fix his mistake on the way back. He borrowed gold at high interest rates to remove it from the market.
He appears on the famous Catalan Atlas map from 1375. It depicts him holding a massive gold nugget.
He brought a famous architect back from Spain. This architect, Al-Sahili, built the iconic Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu.
Interestingly, he paid this architect 200 kilograms of gold. This was a fortune for a single building project.
Timbuktu became a major hub for books. Because of him, books became more valuable than gold in the city.
He founded the Sankore University. Eventually, it housed over 25,000 students and one of the world’s largest libraries.
Europeans called him the “King of Gold.” As a result, many explorers searched for his kingdom centuries later.
Finally, his empire produced half of the world’s gold. Therefore, medieval Europe depended heavily on his mines.
