Mansa (Emperor) Musa of
Mali was born in 1280 into a family of rulers and ruled the Mali empire from
1307 – 1332 as the tenth Mansa of the Mail Empire in West Africa. He ruled and
administered one of the greatest empires in Africa from 1312 to 1337, and built
the Great Mosque at Timbuktu. He left an empire with a vast amount of gold,
riches and magnificent splendor.
Mansa Musa is reputed
to be the richest man that ever walked the surface of the earth. It’s
impossible to quantify his vast resources in terms of physical currency.
In 2012 a US based
website had estimated his wealth to be around $400 billion which according to
economic historians is just a rough estimate.
Life History
Mansa Musa was
according to history either the grandson or grandnephew of the founder of the
Mali empire Sundiata. Musa took control of the empire in 1307 from Sundiata
after his death. At the time he assumed power, Mali extended to parts of
present day Ghana and Mauritania which his predecessors had conquered. Mansa
Musa further extended his empire by conquering about 20 cities and surrounding
regions.
At the height of his
reign, Mali was considered to be the largest producer of gold in the world.
Hence Musa was reputed to be one of the wealthiest figures in the world. His
vast financial and gold possession was such that it could not be accurately
quantified.
History has it that he
was very passionate and a firm supporter of science, architecture, literature
and arts.
Heritage
The oral and recorded
history of the Malian Empire shows that his grandfather Abu-Bakr Keita, was
nephew to Sundiata Keita the founder of the Malian Empire.
Neither his Grandfather
nor father had at any point in time ascended the throne and thus were
insignificant figures as far as ascending the throne was concerned. Mansa’s
ascension to the throne was nonetheless one of divine providence and arrangement.
The practice of the
Ancient Malian Empire was to appoint a deputy whenever a King was to embark on
a journey or pilgrimage to Mecca. Historians recorded it that Mansa Musa was
appointed deputy to the reign King Abubakari Keita II who embarked on a mission
to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately for Keita, but fortunately for
Mansa Musa he never returned.
King Abubakari who was
obstinate about this voyage had contested the impossibility of getting to the
extreme of the ocean that encircled the earth. With this in mind he ordered an
expedition with two hundred boats filled with men, gold, water and many other
essentials to explore the Atlantic Ocean.
After a long period of
time just one boat came back and the Captain on board narrated to the King how
a violent wave drowned all the boats ahead of him except his.
The King however did
not believe and ordered another expedition of more than two thousand boats and
thousands of men, women and slaves. This time around he joined the mission and
conferred on Mansa Musa the title of regency; deputy Emperor.
King Abubakari however
never returned from that voyage thus Mansa Musa inherited the Kingdom he left
behind.
Mansa Musa also
conferred and appointed his son Mansa Magha Keita successor during his
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Pilgrimage to
Mecca
Mansa Musa’s famed pilgrimage
to Mecca in 1324/25 was an event in history that placed Mali on the world map
and portrayed the country as one with breathtaking wealth. His trip to Mecca
made him and his empire known in North Africa and the Middle East. The journey
was dubbed a city moving through the desert.
Before embarking on
this trip he conferred and appointed his son Mansa Magha Keita successor which
in any case was the tradition.
Musa arrived Mecca in
such a glittering and impressive fashion that awed citizens of Cairo and Mecca.
Mansa Musa had an entourage of caravans comprising about 60,000 men and
personal slaves of more than 12,000 all dressed in brocade and Persian silk.
Each slave carried gold bars weighing about 1.8kg and bore gold staffs.
He made this travel
with 80 camels each carrying 300 pounds of gold. The Kingdom of Mali accounted
for about half the world’s deposit of gold at that time in history.
All the men and animals
in his procession were all provided for and fed by Musa. He also gave alms and
gold to the poor he met on his way to Mecca and also traded gold for souvenirs.
As a devote Muslim it was reported that he built a mosque every Friday as he
journeyed to mecca.
The impact and
impression he made in Mecca for years was still a subject of discussion due to
the generosity he displayed. Citizens of Cairo continuously sang his praises
for his penchant for lavish spending which the citizens benefitted from.
History has it that ten
years after his three months visit to Cairo the disruption he caused in the
value of gold was still in effect. Musa flooded the streets and markets of
Cairo with so much gold that its value depreciated drastically.
Cairo at that time was
the headquarters of the gold industry. His spending created a massive ten year
gold recession in Cairo, Medina and Mecca.
History recorded that
as he journeyed back home from Mecca he borrowed all the gold he could from
money-lenders in Cairo with high interest. The flamboyance of Mansa Musa and
his entourage advertised his country beyond the shores of Africa and thus
motivated European nations to trace the source of his wealth.
Records of his journey
are well documented by eyewitnesses who were awed by his elegant procession.
Many observed the lavish display of wealth, power and elegance, the kind never
seen anywhere in history.
Legacy
As at the time he lived
Musa was emperor of one of the largest empires in the world. And during his
historical trip to Mecca his empire was further expanded by one of his generals
Sagmandia; who invaded and conquered the Songhai capital of Gao. Though a city
within his empire it had remained rebellious and unyielding to his rule.
When news of Gao’s
surrender got to him as he journeyed back to his kingdom he, made a detour and
went straight to the city. Mansa Musa met with the two sons of the king of Gao
and returned with both back to his palace.
He also came back with
numerous Arabian scholars and architects. Prominent among the architects that
followed him was Abu Es Haq es Saheli who designed the Djinguereber Mosque.
Goa was a city that was
far advanced than most others in West Africa and was a prominent trading center.
At that time its city Mosque and some other buildings were built with burnt bricks
which were not common anywhere in West Africa.
Historians believe one
of the major reasons why he made that trip to Cairo was to upset the gold
industry in that city and ultimately relocate this market to Timbuktu or Gao.
Return to
Mail and construction
Soon after his return
he embarked on massive construction works around Timbuktu and Goa. Mosques,
madrasas and the famous center of learning Sankore also known as University of
Sankore was built during his reign. The Djinguereber Mosque
he built still stands today.
At the height of his
reign, Mali according to historians had about 400 well established cities which
were densely populated.
Timbuktu became a
center of commerce, culture and Islam with traders coming all the way from
Northern Nigeria, Egypt, and other surrounding kingdoms up to some European
countries. Traders from as far as Genoa, Granada and Venice were reported to
have visited Mali for business; trading their goods for gold.
The extent of his
empire can be imagined when you consider the fact that it took approximately
four months to travel from the northern part of Mali to the southern borders.
The kingdom stretched
from the Atlantic Ocean to parts of Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and
the Gambia.
Musa built Timbuktu to
become one of the most prominent cities in Africa. It served as a commercial
city with economic connections with Egypt and other important trading centers
in Africa. Due to his influence, scholars and religious leaders made the mosque
in Timbuktu a center of learning and thus laid the foundation of the University
of Sankore.
Contribution
to Education
The University of
Sankore in Timbuktu which he built soon became a center of learning within the
region. The university had astronomers, mathematicians and jurist as staffs
during his time as king.
People from all over
the world also came to the university to study. King Musa is credited with the
title of introducing education in West Africa The university of Sankore had one
of the largest collections of books in Africa, second to the Library of
Alexandria in Egypt.
Death
After his death in
1337, aged 57 he was succeeded by Maghan Musa; his son. However his sons who
ruled after him were not able to hold the empire together. Thus years after his
death some states broke off which ultimately led to the gradual collapse of the
empire.
The empire finally
crumbled during the incursion of Europeans in Africa.
His life and legacy was
depicted in a Catalan Atlas map from 1375 with an African King sitting on a
golden throne upon Timbuktu with a gold piece in his hand.