Musa Keita I may have been born around 1280 CE, and became the tenth Mansa (meaning Sultan, King or Emperor) of the wealthy Mali Empire in West Africa when he acceded the throne in 1307 CE.
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Mansa Musa may have been either the grandson of Abu-Bakri Keita, or the grandnephew of Sundiata Keita, founder of the dynasty, and brother of Abu-Bakri.
Of Mansa Musa, it was said:
He was the first Muslim ruler in West Africa to embark on Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. At about 1325, Musa began his pilgrimage with an entourage of thousands of escorts.
His procession reportedly included 60,000 men including 12,000 slaves who each carried four pounds of gold bars, as well as 80 camels loaded with sacks of gold dust; those who walked ahead of him – called heralds, numbering about 500 men – all of whom were dressed in silks and bore gold staffs organised horses, and handled bags.
Musa provided all necessities for the procession, feeding the entire company of men and animals. He also brought considerable amounts of gold, some of which were distributed to the poor, to charitable organisations as well as the rulers of the lands his entourage passed.
On his stop in Cairo, Egypt, the Emperor gave out so much gold that he generated a brief decline in its value, while the prices on goods and wares became greatly inflated. It was said that Cairo’s gold market didn’t recover until over a decade later! But to rectify this, Musa borrowed all the gold he could carry from money-lenders in Cairo at high interest. This is the only time in recorded history that one man would directly control the price of gold in the Mediterranean.
Musa’s journey was documented by several eyewitnesses along his route; all of whom were in awe of his wealth and extensive procession, and records exist in a variety of sources including journals, oral accounts, and histories.
The appearance of a wealthy king from a faraway land made a deep impression on the people he encountered, causing Mali to appear on maps throughout the Middle East and Europe. The first of these maps appeared in Italy in 1339, with references to Mansa Musa made in both name and likeness.
For the first time, sub-Saharan Africa became well-known north of the Sahara desert, all because of this flamboyant journey which awakened the world to the riches of Mali.
Upon his return from Mecca, Musa brought back to Mali, Arab teachers and architects who built many mosques and schools in the cities of Timbuktu and Gao. These included a new palace named Madagou, a mosque at Gao – the second largest city in Mali – and the still-standing mosque at Timbuktu named Djinguereber. These buildings had colourful domes, while their doors and windows were covered with gold.
The wealth of Mansa Musa, if adjusted for inflation, will total a sum of $400 billion according to the Independent Newspaper of UK, which would make him considerably richer than the world’s current richest man, and others before him!
Mansa Musa died in 1337 after a twenty five year reign, and was succeeded by his son, Maghan Musa I.
See Also: How Much Do You Know About the GREAT BENIN EMPIRE? (2)
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