Our journey today takes us to the vast and rich continent of Africa, with its diverse cultures and wealth. This time, we won't focus on wars, famines, or diseases, but rather on a golden era when Africans were masters of their land and riches. Our destination is the country of Mali 🇲
His Birth:
Mansa Musa, born in 1280, traced his lineage back to Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire. He was the grandson of Abu Bakr, the brother of King Sundiata Keita. He is best known by the title "Mansa," which means king. Musa ascended to the throne as the tenth Mansa of the Mali Empire between 1312 and 1337.
Kingdom of Mansa Musa:
He was a wise leader who established diplomatic relations with the Marinid Sultanate, the Kingdom of Tlemcen in Algeria, and even with the Kingdom of Portugal. Through his astute governance, Mansa Musa ushered in Mali's golden age, opening markets, promoting trade, building cities, and mosques, making Mali one of the wealthiest nations in Africa.
Hajj Journey
One of his most famous achievements was his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. He led a massive caravan estimated to be between 15,000 to 60,000 people, including 12,000 slaves and servants. The caravan carried 80 camels laden with 50 to 300 pounds of gold, along with precious treasures and gemstones. Along the journey, Mansa Musa generously distributed gold to everyone he encountered, regardless of their status.# Hajj Journey
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca for Hajj is one of the most famous journeys in history, which further enhanced his reputation as one of the richest men in history. In 1324, he embarked on his journey to Mecca with his entourage, estimated to be between 15,000 to 60,000 people, including 12,000 slaves and servants. The caravan consisted of 80 camels carrying 50 to 300 pounds of gold, along with many other precious belongings and gemstones. Mansa Musa, known for his generosity, spent lavishly in every city he visited or passed through during his journey, distributing gold to everyone, whether princes, nobles, merchants, or common people and the poor. It is reported by historians like Al-Sadi that Mansa Musa built mosques in every city or village he passed through on Fridays, using his own wealth carried with him on his journey. Accounts of Mansa's journey in Cairo suggest that it devastated Egypt's economy at the time, as Mansa generously distributed gold to everyone he encountered, leading to a ten-year decline in the value of gold in Egypt, as well as significant inflation in consumer goods prices. All this extravagant spending and gold distribution without restraint caused Egypt to experience an economic crisis for many years due to this extraordinary journey. Upon Mansa Musa's arrival in Mecca with his large entourage, a conflict arose between the Turks and Mansa's entourage, with swords drawn and raised in the Haram Mosque. Mansa, in great anger, shouted at them from the window of his residence until they stopped fighting. Even in Mecca, Mansa continued to distribute gold coins and gifts, causing a crisis similar to what happened in Egypt.
# Return Journey
After performing the Hajj rituals and preparing to return to his kingdom, Al-Maqrizi narrates in his book "Al-Zahra Al-Musabba" that Mansa's caravan was delayed in returning from Mecca, and many of his men and camels perished due to the cold. Many of them did not reach Cairo, only about a third of them did. Upon his return to his kingdom, Mansa Musa did not return empty-handed but brought with him all the knowledge, arts, and architecture he encountered on his journey. Mansa would invite scholars and architects during his journey to return with him to his kingdom, and many of them did. He began to further develop his kingdom, utilizing his Hajj journey to open new trade routes with many countries. Commercial and diplomatic relations with Egypt and North Africa flourished thanks to his journey, and Mali became an important commercial center in the Sahara. Mansa built numerous mosques and Islamic schools in the cities of Timbuktu and Gao, the most important of which was the Sankore Mosque. In the city of Niani, he built a courthouse topped with a dome and windows adorned with silver and gold. Thanks to Mansa, his entire kingdom changed and expanded to include new territories stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern bank of the Niger River and the Taghaza Desert. By controlling all these cities, Mansa came to possess half of the gold in the ancient world, thanks to his trade, especially in gold and salt.
Return Journey and Death
Upon returning from the pilgrimage, Mansa Musa's caravan faced delays due to cold weather, resulting in the loss of many men and camels. While the exact date of his death is uncertain, it is believed to have occurred in late 1325 or 1332.
His Legacy:
After his death, Spain produced the Catalan Atlas, featuring a prominent depiction of Mansa Musa holding a piece of glowing gold. He became a symbol of African culture and history, remembered for his noble character and contributions to the development of his kingdom, elevating it to a significant commercial and cultural center in Africa.
With this, we close a chapter of Africa's golden history, where the continent flourished under the rule of talented and just kings.
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