Mansa Moussa of Mali's wealth is unimaginable or unmatched.
Moses became ruler of the Mali Empire in 1312 and ascended the throne after his predecessor, Abu Bakr II, disappeared during a sea voyage in search of the edge of the Atlantic. At the time of Moussa's rule, European countries were in trouble because of fierce civil wars and a lack of resources. During this period, the Mali Empire prospered due to abundant natural resources such as gold and salt.
Under Musa's rule, this prosperous empire expanded into sizable areas of West Africa, from the Atlantic coast to timbuktu, the inland trading center, and parts of the Sahara Desert. During Musa's reign, the territory expanded and the economic status of the people increased.
It was not until 1324 that the world beyond the borders of Mali was able to see the king's immense wealth. In a Muslim-majority community, Moussa was a devout Muslim who began his pilgrimage to Mecca. But the king did not travel alone.
Mansa Moussa on his way to Mecca.
The voyage, which spanned about 4,000 miles, was completed by Moussa and a caravan of tens of thousands of soldiers, slaves and heralds, clad in Persian silk and armed with golden scepters. Although few records are of the exact number of people involved in the voyage, the elaborate convoy that accompanied Moses was accompanied by camels and horses carrying hundreds of pounds of gold.
Of course, this spectacle caught the attention of the inhabitants of the area through which Musa passed — after all, such a large group could not be ignored. The Malian emperor's influence on the Egyptian people will last more than a decade.
Upon arriving in Cairo, Moussa's character was fully demonstrated during his reluctant meeting with Cairo's ruler, Malik Nasir. According to ancient historians, Moses was welcomed in Cairo by one of Nasir's subordinates and invited him to meet with the monarch's counterparts. Moses rejected the offer, claiming he was simply passing through Mecca on a pilgrimage.
Onlookers quickly understood why. "I realized that the audience disgusted him because he had to kiss the ground and the sultan's hand," said a man named Amir Abu. "I continued to cajole him, he continued to make excuses, but the sultan's etiquette required me to bring him before the royal family, so I pestered him until he agreed."
Mansa Moussa, King of Mali.
When Musa refused to kiss the sultan's feet, the meeting became contentious and did not calm down until Musa chose to greet Nasir appropriately. After the two men talked, Nasir offered accommodation to Moses and his entourage, who left an incomprehensible fortune in Egypt.
From Cairo's markets to the royal family's offices to the poor he met in Egypt, Moses' generosity and purchase of foreign goods left the streets littered with gold— a very popular but undersupplied resource. People were excited – at least at first. The gold that Moses gave, although well-intentioned, actually devalued Egypt's gold and dealt a major blow to the economy. It took 12 years for the community to recover.
But the king's travels were not all given. During his voyage, he acquired high-country territory within the territory of the Songhai Kingdom, extending his territory to the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, along the Niger River. He later established an empire that included present-day Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Mauritania, as well as Mali.
Djinguereber Mosque
However, the territory of the High Kingdom was of particular importance to the King. The land was located in present-day Mali, where Moussa built one of several mosques after completing his hajj. Timbuktu was also an important city for the wealthy king, who used his wealth to build schools, universities, libraries, and mosques there. In this thriving trading center, Moussa commissioned the construction of the Jingo Ereber Mosque. Built of mud bricks and wood, this famous mosque has stood the test of time and has been active for more than 500 years.
Moses' wealth and influence spread beyond Africa after he traveled to Mecca. For a long time after his death, stories of his massive convoy and generosity continued to circulate, and it is believed that he died sometime between 1332 and 1337. By the late 14th century, a portrait of Musa had been drawn on the Catalan Atlas of 1375 (the Catalan Atlas was an important source for medieval European navigators). Created by the Spanish cartographer Abraham Kress, the atlas depicts Moses sitting on a throne, holding a gold nugget, holding a golden scepter and crown.
From the abundant natural resources he cultivated to the growth and development of the communities he left behind, Moses' s saga can compete with the fictional Black Panther. In terms of wealth, it is almost impossible to quantify the wealth of Moses during his lifetime. The vast land and material wealth that Moses possessed seems completely incomprehensible today: imagine how much gold a man could have and then double it, and that's the message all these records are trying to convey.