At a time when Europe was considered to be struggling out of the ‘dark ages’ and the continent of Africa had yet to fall prey to Western colonisers, part of Africa – particularly the Kingdom in West Africa – was thriving in wealth – particularly in gold. Mansa Musa I – “mansa” – an African word meaning “King” or “Sultan” – was enjoying the envious reputation of being the “richest man on earth” – indeed, in history! He owned fabulous amounts of gold and that reflected on his power and influence. And that is what he is known for primarily in history: his wealth and his generosity and, of course, his impressive life-style and gift-giving and, above all, his impressive trip to Mecca in 1324 A.D. to accomplish the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj. Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim by faith. It was a trip that he took through Cairo, Egypt. It took him one year to complete and during which time he made a fabulous show of his enormous wealth and generosity.
Mansa Musa I was the ninth Mansa or ruler of the Mali Empire (1312-1337 A.D.), which reached its peak during his reign and he would be known in history for his “wealth and gift-giving.” Little wonder then that he was referred to by many as the wealthiest monarch, who had so much wealth that he came to be known as “the wealthiest man in history.”
When Musa I ascended the throne of Mali in 1312 A.D., following the disappearance at sea of his uncle Abu Bakr II, who had gone on an expeditionary trip to explore the Atlantic Ocean, his kingdom, in West Africa, then comprised parts of the Ghanaian Empire as well as the States of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia, Burkina Faso and what is now modern Mali. Under Mansa Musa I, the Mali Empire would grow stronger and very rich.
As is well known, Mali and its capital Timbuktu became symbols of prosperity and a thriving hub of commerce and trade as well as a famous Islamic Centre for learning.
Musa would prove himself to be an able king and a wise administrator. Under his rule, the Kingdom of Mali flourished and expanded. Musa developed his cities of Timbuktu and Gao and turned them into major cultural and commercial centres. He invited architects from the Muslim countries and from across Africa to design new buildings for his cities and it was not long before he turned Mali into a leading hub and “a sophisticated centre of learning in the Islamic world” attracting scholars and students from the Islamic world. The capital Timbuktu was hailed as a prime hub of Islamic learning in West Africa and Mansa Musa would invite scholars, historians from the Islamic world to come and teach at his madrassas (Universities) in Gao and Timbuktu, which rivalled the best in the Middle East. It was said the Madrassas in Timbuktu and Gao housed great libraries and was home to some 25,000 foreign students. Mansa Musa was a great champion of knowledge.
Mali’s riches came as a result of the astute trade policies of Mansa Musa. He particularly developed the mining salt and gold industries while elephant ivory was another source of lucrative revenue of the Kingdom. The Mali Empire reeled in wealth – particularly gold.
Mansa Musa was so rich that he was touted as the richest king on earth and he got the chance to make a show of his lavish wealth when, in 1324 A.D., he decided, as a devout Muslim, to make the Hajj to Mecca in fulfilment of one of the pillars of his Islamic faith. The trip would be an unparalleled event in Mali’s history and would be singled out for its opulence and lavish display of Mansa Musa’s wealth. It would turn out to be the single most remarkable event of his entire reign.
Mansa Musa I planned his Hajj trip meticulously. It was large and big, colourful and impressive! It is said his retinue comprised over 60,000 men and women including attendants, slaves and soldiers all decked in silk and gold and dozens of camels each loaded with some 300 pounds of gold. It was an impressive show of rare pageantry and power and wealth. Mansa Musa made his journey to Mecca through Egypt and, during his stop-overs, he got plenty of opportunities to show off his kindness and generosity… particularly to the poor.
When he arrived in Cairo, he would prove himself to be overly generous with his gold so much so, it is said, that his generous gift-giving would directly impact on the price of gold in Egypt. In fact, the amount of gold Mansa Musa distributed in Egypt literally affected the price of the commodity in the country for years.
Mansa Musa spent lavishly and generously. News about Mansa Musa and his enormous wealth eventually reached Europe. So much so that in the famous Spanish Catalan map of the world, drawn in 1375, Mansa Musa I would be shown holding a nugget of gold in one hand and a golden staff in the other. Indeed, the African King had earned his spot in history and had put Mali on the map – and that a time when not much was known about Africa except perhaps it was mostly “the dark continent.”
On his return from his Hajj trip to Mali, Mansa Musa would devote himself to his kingdom and embark in a frenzy of activities planning and building mosques, universities (Madrassas) and turning his kingdom into a reputable Centre of Islamic learning and culture. He would invite scholars, poets, architects and artists from the Islamic world to work in the Madrassas in Mali, which had become by then an enviable Islamic hub of learning in West Africa.
Mansa Musa I died in 1337 A.D. and was succeeded by his sons. But things would not be the same for the Mali Kingdom afterwards. With the advent of the colonial era, things would change for Africa as a continent. Mali would face frequent plundering raids by the Portuguese marauders. But Mansa Musa had made the point. His reign was the golden age of the Mali Empire. It was already on the world map and Mansa Musa had already carved his niche in history. Today, he is honoured for his brilliant policies and good administration. However, the history of the Mali Kingdom, as we know it, would not be the same afterwards.
