Marcia Amidon Lusted
2023
In this article, Marcia Amidon Lusted describes Mansa Musa, an important West African leader in the 1300s.
Who is the wealthiest person in the history of the world? Your guesses might include today’s royalty, movie stars, or founders of technology companies. But surprisingly, the richest person in history may be someone who lived and died over 700 years ago. In comparison to this man, the billionaires of today’s tech industry are much less impressive.
Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire — which consisted of parts of the current West African countries of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, and the modern state of Mali — from 1312-1337 CE. During his reign, his wealth was estimated at $400 billion. But Mansa Musa’s legacy was even greater than the accumulation of his riches. He expanded trade in gold and salt — natural resources that were abundant in his kingdom. He also developed Mali into one of the most respected centers of learning in the Islamic world.
The previous Mansa — which means “king” or “ruler” in Mandé, a language spoken in several West African countries — was Abu Bakr II. He left Mali to explore the Atlantic Ocean, leaving Musa behind to act as his deputy. When Abu Bakr II failed to return, Musa inherited his throne. He became the new Mansa of Mali in 1312. While Mansa Musa’s exact date of birth is unknown, historians believe he became king in his twenties. He inherited a kingdom that already had a great deal of wealth, and it grew under his rule and the expansion of trade.
Word of Mansa Musa’s impossible wealth spread when he decided to make a hajj, or pilgrimage, to the Islamic holy center of Mecca in 1324. A devout Muslim, Mansa Musa traveled an estimated 4,000 miles from Mali to Mecca, to complete his hajj. This pilgrimage is one of the religious duties that Muslims are encouraged to complete at least once in their lifetime.
On his pilgrimage, Mansa Musa traveled with a caravan of tens of thousands of people. His attendants were outfitted in Persian silk and carried golden staffs. He was also accompanied by dozens of camels, each weighed down by 300 pounds of gold. Mansa Musa spared no expense on his journey, providing his entourage with everything they could possibly need, including souvenirs. They also carried bags of gold dust, which Musa distributed to people along their route.
When Mansa Musa and his caravan entered the city of Cairo in Egypt, the massive group attracted attention. An Arab historian named Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari, who visited Cairo soon after Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage, wrote that it was “a lavish display of power, wealth, and unprecedented by its size and pageantry.”
While Mansa Musa was in Cairo, the Sultan of Egypt offered him and his entire entourage lodging, giving them ample opportunity to inundate the city with gold. During his time in Egypt, Mansa Musa spent vast amounts of gold on souvenirs and other goods. He also gifted gold dust to people in need who crossed his path. Unfortunately, his generosity proved to be detrimental to Egypt. Mansa Musa gave away and spent so much gold that the value of gold depreciated in Egypt. The demand for gold fell because there was now a great deal of it in the country. So many people had gold that not as many people wanted it, making it less desirable and less valuable. This significantly damaged the country’s economy, and it took twelve years for the supply of gold to decrease and for gold to return to its normal value.
Mansa Musa did more than just spend his incredible wealth on his pilgrimage. He also added territory to his large empire, including the cities of Gao and Timbuktu. He built mosques, schools, libraries, and universities in both cities, creating centers of Islamic scholarship there. Additionally, Mansa Musa built the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, constructed of mudbrick and wood; it is still an active religious center today.
Tales of Mansa Musa’s tremendous wealth spread far beyond Africa and outlived the ruler himself. In 1317, a Spanish mapmaker created the Catalan Atlas, a valuable resource for navigators, which included an image of Mansa Musa. The king was sitting on a throne, wearing a gold crown, and holding a hunk of gold the size of an apple.
But is Mansa Musa truly the richest person in history? Historians argue that it is almost impossible to calculate how much wealth he actually had. The Arabic writers of Mansa Musa’s time could not give an exact estimation of the gold in his possession, only saying that it was more than they thought possible for one person to have. Rudolph Butch Ware, an associate professor of history at the University of California, told BBC News, “Contemporary accounts of Musa’s wealth are so breathless that it’s almost impossible to get a sense of just how wealthy and powerful he truly was.” Whether or not Mansa Musa was wealthier than today’s tech giants or business executives, he deserves to be remembered not just for his gold, but also for his generosity and all that he accomplished for his kingdom.
Text: "Mansa Musa: The Wealthiest Person in History" by Marcia Amidon Lusted. Copyright © 2023 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Image: "Untitled" by Stevebidmead is licensed under CC0.
Notes:
countries in which the religion of Islam is widespread
Assessment Questions
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33 out of 35 Answered
Question 34
The author's likely purpose in writing this article is to —
A. explain why Mansa Musa completed a hajj.
B. express the importance of trade in the Mali Empire.
C. encourage readers to visit modern-day West Africa.
D. educate readers about Mansa Musa's accomplishments
1 answer
The author's likely purpose in writing this article is to —
D. educate readers about Mansa Musa's accomplishments.
The article provides a detailed account of Mansa Musa’s wealth, his pilgrimage, his contributions to trade and education, and the impact he had on his empire and beyond, indicating the intention to inform readers about his significant historical role and achievements.
