Mansa Musa: The Richest Person in History

Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali, reign c. 1312-1337) was the tenth Mansa (emperor) of the Mali Empire, one of the wealthiest kingdoms in African history. He is often considered the richest person to have ever lived.

Rise to Power

Musa came to power after his predecessor, Abu-Bakr II, sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean and never returned. As deputy, Musa assumed the throne and proved to be a capable and ambitious ruler.

The Mali Empire

Under Musa's rule, Mali became one of the largest empires in the world, stretching over 2,000 miles from the Atlantic coast deep into the interior of West Africa. The empire controlled vast gold and salt deposits, the two most valuable commodities of the medieval world.

The Pilgrimage to Mecca (1324)

Musa's famous hajj to Mecca in 1324 demonstrated his extraordinary wealth. His caravan included:

• 60,000 men
• 12,000 slaves, each carrying 4-pound gold bars
• 80 camels, each carrying 300 pounds of gold dust

He distributed so much gold in Cairo that he reportedly depressed the value of gold in Egypt for over a decade.

Legacy

Musa built mosques and universities, most famously the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu. He transformed Timbuktu into a center of Islamic learning, attracting scholars from across the Muslim world.

His reign represented the zenith of Mali's power and wealth, and his story challenges Eurocentric narratives about African history and civilization.