In 1324 AD, Mali was only a regional country entrenched in the corner of West Africa, on the fringes of the entire Muslim world. But the ambitious king Musa I had a sense of proportion, and was ready to shock the world with his crazy money throwing. To this end, he will make a pilgrimage to Mecca himself and use countless gold to buy enough space for the inheritance of the world.
Little Mandinka region of the middle reaches of the Niger River (purple)
As early as the 11th and 12th centuries, the original Malian regime arose in the small Mandinka region of the upper Niger River. Although they had chosen to convert to Islam, they could not trade directly with their Muslim brothers along the Mediterranean coast. The reason is that due north of itself, there is also an earlier Ghanaian empire. As long as you control the oasis passage in the desert, you can make a considerable difference as a middleman without scruples.
The expansion of the Sahara Desert played an important role in the decline of West African civilization
However, this situation soon changed due to climate issues. As the Sahara expanded, many marginal savannas were shrinking. As a result, the urban agricultural base that underpinned Mali's hegemony rapidly withered and gradually degenerated into semi-isolated towns that stretched out. On the contrary, the Niger River basin further south relies on abundant water sources to maintain large-scale production settlements, thus achieving a complete overtake of the former suffering masters. So by about 1235, Mali was the end of the entire northwest inland trade network.
Ordinary aristocratic cavalry of the Mali Empire
Of course, after Mali becomes a typical emerging economy, it will inevitably suffer from internal strife due to the accumulation of wealth. Sakula, a former court slave, succeeded in usurping the throne in 1255 and took many proactive measures to strengthen his legitimacy. On the one hand, it intensified the pace of expansion into the surrounding areas, synchronously moving troops to the east and west along the Niger River, and at the same time not forgetting to look for reliable allies outside. For example, he led his cronies on a pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca, and by the way, established contact with the powerful Mamluk sultan - Nasser. Although his man was assassinated after the triumph, it is enough to provide a rare and excellent model for those who came after him.
After the succession, the legitimacy of Musa I was questionable
In 1312 AD, the groundbreaking Musa I finally appeared. Although he always claimed that Mohammed, the former monarch of Mali, was obsessed with seafaring exploration, he was more likely a coup usurper similar to Sakula. The old king and his die-hard supporters were expelled through premeditated exile and murder.
The Great Mosque of Timbuktu was built during the reign of Moussa
Thus, early in his administration, Moussa was also committed to strengthening centralization and rapid economic development. Through the collection of considerable road taxes, tight salt taxes, and the development of three large gold mines, the financial resources of the local princes were crushed, so that they could only safely serve as cavalry or low-level officials to maintain law and order. This was followed by the distribution of much land to ordinary civilians in exchange for absolute loyalty at the political level and infantry military obligations in wartime. Finally, on the eve of the pilgrimage, Timbuktu, the most important city in the entire south of the Sahara Desert, was annexed. The result was an unprecedented empire in West Africa, spanning present-day Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali itself, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast.
Map of the Mali Empire under Musa I
However, as the supreme ruler of a secondary civilization, it is impossible for Musa not to seek the identity of the outside world for himself. Therefore, after the situation in the country calmed down, he hurriedly took out the huge wealth that he had looted for many years, and personally led a large number of retinues to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is hoped that by enshrined in the spiritual center of the Muslim world and the bribery of various large and small forces along the way, his identity as a usurper will be completely cleared.
Mamo Musa dressed up
In addition, the source of wealth of the Mali Empire mainly consisted in various types of trade with sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the pilgrimage itself must also have a very clear economic attribute, which is a "performance" that the king needs to maintain the safety of trade routes and reaffirm the unchanged existing policy.
Moussa's pilgrim procession reached unprecedented size
In the spring of 1324, Musa I crossed the Niger River, which feeds all its people, and left the capital with 60,000 pilgrims in full gear. Among them were wives and concubines, private servants, armed guards, professional scholars, and merchant representatives with multiple duties, and 12,000 carefully selected hardcover slaves. This is not to say that the ranks lacked animal power, but Musa had already prepared a large number of horses, 80 camels, and many more exotic animals belonging to the king himself for this grand procession. Therefore, in addition to the basic carrying function, the vast number of slaves also carried with them the sacred mission of showing the outside world how rich Mali was. All of them wore ornate costumes made of brocade and Persian silk, making them a beautiful sight in the sea of sand.
Roadmap of the mass pilgrimage of Musa I
In the months that followed, the entire party traveled along the customary inland Sahara trade route. The first stop was Vallarta in present-day southeastern Mauritania, a typical oasis city that was not inferior to Timbuktu in the south. From there, further north, you can enter Taghazha, an important stronghold of the Tuareg people of the desert herders, and the production center of the salt industry in the Sahara desert in the Middle Ages. Therefore, any empire based in West Africa could not be separated from the smooth trade routes and salt trade, and every black ethnic group in Western Europe needed to learn to live in harmony with its Moorish neighbors. If the fragile balance can no longer be maintained financially, it often means a larger bloodshed.
In the Sahara Desert, King Musa's army was large enough to defy all opponents
King Moussa's procession then deflected eastwards and made its way through Salah, a small city in present-day southern Algeria. It is not only a north-south shortcut used by caravans, but also the radiation edge of the economic belt along the Mediterranean coast. Traditionally, Berber herders would often bring Arab guests to meet with Tuareg merchants representing southern interests. When pilgrims see the oasis of Gudamis on Libya's western border, it means successfully stepping out of their desert comfort zone and facing a new world that is often heard of but not familiar to them. Finally, the small town of Öjira on the Cyrenaica Peninsula, the eastern border of the traditional Berber dialect, is the final resting place before the opening of the great show.
The towns that pilgrims pass through are often closely linked to Mali's trade
It is worth mentioning that the king of Mali spent a lot of blood on this pilgrimage. For example, the 12,000 richly dressed slaves each carried 1.8 kilograms of gold on their backs, and the gold dust carried by camels between 23 and 136 kilograms. So much so that later scholars estimated that the gold reserves that Musa brought abroad this time was as much as 8-12 tons. But there is little room for the first half of the journey, apparently for Egypt, which needs focused public relations.
The huge amount of gold mined from China is the stepping stone to Moussa's pursuit of international recognition
On July 16, 1324, the 60,000-strong pilgrimage arrived in Cairo, Egypt, the highest center of power in the Mamluk Sultanate. They camped at the majestic Great Pyramid of Giza and, three days later, marched along the Nile into the city to meet the long-awaited Sultan Nasser Mohammed. The latter, well aware of the true intentions of the Malians, directly asked Musa to bow to him in public. I didn't want the other party to refuse flatly, so I was only willing to bow with a lower posture.
A 14th-century Egyptian beanie
In fact, Nasser's Egypt was at its peak, beating Mali economically, militarily, and diplomatically. More importantly, the slave legions, trained by the Sultan himself, have been guarding the holy cities of Jerusalem, Medina and Mecca throughout the Muslim world. But Musa was not without the capital to impress people's hearts, and thus quickly gained the understanding of the Mamluks. Upon receiving the jewels and sword presented by Mohammed, he immediately returned a beanie with the caliph's emblem woven with a very flattering eulogy: Glory to our Sultan Nasir!
Malian merchants are buying and buying in the Cairo market
At the same time, the pilgrims of Mali began to show their wealth to the secular center of the Islamic world, as the king had commanded. They stayed in Cairo for three months, sweeping luxury markets and trading hubs with gold, causing the rapid depreciation of the local currency, the dinar. More gold dust is given free of charge to the poor or charities, and even donated to a brand new mosque every Friday for important weeks. Musa himself was not idle, frequently chatting and laughing with dignitaries and well-known scholars, and stuffing them with valuable gifts. Perhaps this is the most important factor for him to avoid Nasser's trouble!
On the way to Mecca, Musa I continued to scatter coins
On October 18, Moussa and his party finally set out again to travel to the holy sites further east with the official Mamluk convoy. Since Jerusalem had been destroyed by Khwarezm mercenaries in the early years of the Crusades, pilgrimages were made only to Medina and Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. By this time, the smug king had gone completely insane, forcibly sending money to the poor along the way, regardless of the occasion. When you really set foot in the holy city, you must give everything you have to show devotion, so that the original abundance of gold will quickly run out. During this time, they also clashed seriously with a group of Turkic Taoists and came close to fighting in the Great Mosque of Mecca. Fortunately, Musa was well aware of his international status and tried to persuade his nobles to make things small to make sure that he did not make jokes during the trip.
Malian pilgrims came close to fighting the Turks inside the Great Mosque
In the spring of the following year, the King of Mali, believing that he had completed an epic pilgrimage, began to lead his men back the same way. This time, they were no longer accompanied by an official Mamluk convoy and were in a difficult position due to a lack of entanglement. As a result, the team reached the Sinai Peninsula and was attacked by a large number of Bedouin tribes. Moussa could only put down his arrogant posture and try his best to raise money for himself and tens of thousands of people to travel home. At first, he simply sold the goods purchased from Cairo, and later borrowed a lot of money from local merchants in his personal name. Even so, many slaves still died of illness in the cold nights of the desert due to lack of funds and lack of medical care. In the end, it was the Sultan of Nasser who reached out to ensure that the Malians and others made the return journey safely.
Moussa on the Catalan world map
The golden ball in the hand is enough to illustrate the level of wealth
Due to the lack of relevant records, it is not clear how many Malians have successfully returned to their homeland. But to be sure, Musa I did not end his trip until 1326. Although it is very costly, it does achieve satisfactory results at the diplomatic level. At least in the eyes of Spain, which drew the World Map of Catalonia decades later, he was the richest ruler in the world. It is not clear that after the death of Musa, the entire Mali Empire will also be directly transformed from prosperity to decline...