In addition to gold, Mali was rich in salt, which was so plentiful that in some towns, slabs of it were used to build houses. As a vital part of the human diet, salt was also exported to sub-Saharan Africa—the region south of the Sahara desert—where it was hard to come by naturally. Pound for pound, it was literally worth its weight in gold.
The wealth of the Mali Empire became widely known as a result of Mansa Musa’s legendary pilgrimage to Mecca. More than 60,000 people went with him, along with nearly 100 camels, each carrying hundreds of pounds of gold. Mansa Musa gave away so much gold along the way that its value depreciated for over a decade.
Which did NOT contribute to the wealth of the Mali Empire?
A
Import and export taxes
B
The exportation of gold
C
The exportation of salt
D
Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage
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D. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage
While Mansa Musa's pilgrimage did bring attention to the wealth of the Mali Empire, it was not a direct contributor to the ongoing wealth of the empire itself in terms of trade or resources. The other options (A, B, and C) directly relate to the economic activities that contributed to the wealth of the Mali Empire. Mansa Musa's lavish spending during the pilgrimage may have even impacted the value of gold negatively in the long run.
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