Throughout the ages, there have always been rich people such as Elon Musk, William the Conqueror and many more. The amount of wealth that they possess or possessed is exponential, but there has existed a person who was even richer than modern-day Elon Musk and still holds the title of the richest man in history. His name is Mansa Musa of Mali.
Mansa meant King in the Manding languages spoken by the Mali Empire, and Musa was his name. During his reign, Mali was one of the richest countries in Africa. The ancient Mali kingdom originally possessed a portion of what are now Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. Mansa Musa transformed towns like Gao and Timbuktu to become significant cultural hubs. In order to create new buildings for his settlements, he also imported architects from the Middle East and other parts of Africa. Mansa Musa converted Mali's kingdom into an elite Islamic learning centre.
Following the disappearance of the previous monarch, Abu Bakr II at sea in 1312 CE, Mansa Musa assumed the throne of Mansa Abu Bakr II who embarked with a large fleet of ships to explore the Atlantic Ocean but never returned. Mali became the richest kingdom in Africa during Mansa Musa's leadership despite inheriting an already prosperous country. His fortune was derived from the Mali kingdom's vast salt and gold assets. Another significant source of riches was ivory from elephants.
In 1324 CE, Mansa Musa travelled through Egypt on his way to Mecca, causing quite a commotion. Nothing was known about the Mali kingdom outside of West Africa until this point. According to Arab authors of the period, he travelled with tens of thousands of people and hundreds of camels, each carrying 136 kg of gold. Mansa Musa spent and gave away a lot of gold when in Cairo visiting the Sultan of Egypt; resultantly, the value of gold in Egypt fell over the following 12 years. Even Europe heard about his incredible fortune. The West African region is dominated by a representation of Mansa Musa seated on a throne and holding a gold nugget in one hand and a golden staff in the other in the Catalan Atlas, created by Spanish cartographers around 1375 CE. Mansa Musa's reputation as a man of incredible riches was confirmed by the publishing of this atlas.
Mansa Musa started bringing towns in his empire back to life after returning from his trip to Mecca. He built mosques and other public constructions in areas like Gao and, most importantly, Timbuktu. Mansa Musa's innovations led to Timbuktu's growth throughout the 14th century into a significant Islamic academic hub. Mansa Musa expanded the fame of the Mali kingdom by welcoming intellectuals and architects from all over the Islamic world. Under Mansa Musa's development and control, the Mali kingdom reached its full potential and became a vibrant, affluent nation.
Bibliography:
R. Barden, Charles. “Musa-I-of-Mali” Britannica. n.d. Web. 26 Oct, 2022. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali>
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