Like many other devout Muslim rulers before him and after, Musa did not travel alone.
King Mansa Musa as depicted in the Catalan Atlas.
On the way to Mecca, Mansa Musa lavished gifts of gold to whoever he met.
From the impoverished people who crossed his path, to the royal officers in Cairo.
Musa spent and gave away so much gold that he wrecked the local economy.
The Medieval Mali Empire at the end of Mansa Musa’s reign (1337 CE).
His riches came from mining significant salt and gold deposits in the Mali kingdom.
Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.
In addition, there were hundreds of other camels loaded down with precious silk and other materials.
It took Egypts economy 12 years to recover.
Mansa Musas caravan on the way to Mecca.
Musa reportedly paid Saheli 200 kg of gold for designing and building the mosque.
Modern historians have been trying to quantify the riches that Musa had during his lifetime.
Unfortunately, there is no accurate way to estimate just how rich Musa was in modern terms.
Detail from the Catalan Atlas showing the Western Sahara and Mansa Musa.
Photo:Wikimedia Commons
Richard Ware of Ferrum College in Virginia toldTimethat people had trouble even describing Musas wealth.
This is the richest guy anyone has ever seen, thats the point, Ware said.
Theyre trying to find words to explain that.
Djingareyber Mosque, Timbuktu.
