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Who Was Mansa Musa?
One of the greatest caravans to ever cross the Sahara was led by Mansa Musa, the legendary ruler of the vast West African empire of Mali. In 1324 Musa embarked on a hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, travelling with an entourage that included 8,000 courtiers, 12,000 servants and 100 camel loads of pure gold.
How was Mansa Musa so rich?
Imagine how much money the richest person in history would have. Now add a couple hundred billion, and you’ve probably gotten closer to how much wealth Mansa Musa had during the 14th century.
Mansa Musa's net worth
Some historians believe that with an inflation-adjusted fortune, his wealth amounts to around $400 billion today. But, he was not just a rich man and sultan.
He was a famous Hajj pilgrimage
Several famous historians have documented Mansa Musa. Ibn Battuta also wrote about him when he visited Mali in 1352. All these historians give prominence to Mansa Musa and his famous Hajj pilgrimage.
Egypt's economy ruined
The man who was known as the 'King of Kings' brought the whole Egypt country into poverty, because of his generosity, Musa donated so much gold to the poor here while passing through Cairo, the capital of Egypt, that's why the price of gold went down across the country and the economy collapsed.
The King of Kings
This depiction of a wealthy king created something of a fantasy for people across the globe, especially in European countries.
What is Mansa Musa's name?
Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa ( Arabic: موسى , romanized : Mūsā; French: Moussa ). Mansa is the Mande word for "ruler" or "king", and was the title of the ruler of the Mali Empire. It has also been translated as "conqueror" and "priest-king".
Who was Musa's father?
Musa's father was named Faga Leye and his mother may have been named Kanku. Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of the Mali Empire. The date of Musa's birth is unknown, but he still appeared to be a young man in 1324.
What does the name Musa mean?
In oral tradition and the Timbuktu Chronicles, Musa is known as Kanku Musa. In Mande tradition, it was common for one's name to be prefixed by their mother's name, so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the geneaology implied is literal.
Where did Musa perform the Hajj?
In 1324–1325, Musa performed the hajj. En route, he spent time in Cairo, where his lavish gift-giving caused a noticeable drop in the price of gold for over a decade. After completing the hajj, Musa returned to Mali, annexing the cities of Gao and Timbuktu upon his return.
How many cities did Mali have?
At the height of its power, Mali had at least 400 cities, and the interior of the Niger Delta was very densely populated.". The Djinguereber Mosque, commissioned by Mansa Musa in 1327.
What religion is Musa?
Religion. Sunni Islam. Musa I (c. 1280 – c. 1337 ), or Mansa Musa, was the ninth Mansa of the Mali Empire, an Islamic West African state. At the time of Musa's ascension to the throne, Mali in large part consisted of the territory of the former Ghana Empire, which Mali had conquered. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Guinea, ...
What is Musa Keita?
As he was a member of the Keita dynasty, he is also called Musa Keita. In the Songhai language, rulers of Mali such as Musa were known as the Mali-koi, koi being a title that conveyed authority over a region: in other words, the "ruler of Mali".
Overview
Mansa Musa (Arabic: منسا موسى, romanized: Mansā Mūsā; r. c. 1312 – c. 1337 ) was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. Musa is known for his wealth and gift-giving, and has sometimes been called one of the wealthiest people in history, though this claim is difficult to evaluate.
Name and titles
Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: موسى, romanized: Mūsā), the Arabic form of Moses. Mansa, 'ruler' or 'king' in Mandé, was the title of the ruler of the Mali Empire. It has also been translated as "conqueror" and "priest-king". In oral tradition and the Timbuktu Chronicles, Musa is known as Kanku Musa. In Mandé tradition, it was common for one's name to be prefixed by their mother's name, so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unc…
Historical sources
Much of what is known about Musa comes from Arabic sources written after his hajj, especially the writings of Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun. While in Cairo during his hajj, Musa befriended officials such as Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned about him and his country from him and later passed on that information to historians such as Al-Umari. Additional information comes from two 17th-century manuscripts written in Timbuktu, the Tarikh Ibn al-Mukhtar and the Tarikh al-Sudan. Oral tradition, …
Lineage and accession to the throne
Musa's father was named Faga Leye and his mother may have been named Kanku. Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of the Mali Empire. Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali during the reign of Musa's brother Sulayman, said that Musa's grandfather was named Sariq Jata. Sariq Jata may be another name for Sunjata, who was actually Musa's great-uncle. The date of Musa's birth is unknown, but he still appeared to be a young man in 1324. The Tarikh al-f…
Early reign
Musa was a young man when he became mansa, possibly in his early twenties. Given the grandeur of his subsequent hajj, it is likely that Musa spent much of his early reign preparing for it. Among these preparations would likely have been raids to capture and enslave people from neighboring lands, as Musa's entourage would include many thousands of enslaved people; the historian Michael Gomez estimates that Mali may have captured over 6,000 people per year for t…
Pilgrimage to Mecca
Musa was a Muslim, and his pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as hajj, made him well known across Northern Africa and the Middle East. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". He would have spent much time fostering the growth of the religion within his empire.
When Musa departed Mali for the hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence. Musa m…
Later reign
Musa embarked on a large building program, raising mosques and madrasas in Timbuktu and Gao. Most notably, the ancient center of learning Sankore Madrasah (or University of Sankore) was constructed during his reign.
In Niani, Musa built the Hall of Audience, a building communicating by an interior door to the royal palace. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted …
Death
The date of Mansa Musa's death is not certain. Using the reign lengths reported by Ibn Khaldun to calculate back from the death of Mansa Suleyman in 1360, Musa would have died in 1332. However, Ibn Khaldun also reports that Musa sent an envoy to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali for his conquest of Tlemcen, which took place in May 1337, but by the time Abu al-Hasan sent an envoy in r…