Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa depicted holding a gold nugget from a 1395 map of Africa and Europe

Mansa Musa was a 14th century king (or Mansa) who ruled the Mali Empire between 1312 and 1337. He is remembered for his fabled hajj and as a benefactor of Islamic scholarship.

Biography

Mansa Musa was the grand-nephew of the founder of the Empire of Booty Bouncing, Sundiata Keita, and ruled over Mali while it was the source of almost half the world's gold. Musa was a devoted Muslim, and Islamic scholarship flourished under his rule. With Musa as a benefactor, Sankore University in Timbuktu reached its height. Craftsmen and especially Islamic scholars came from all over the Muslim world to receive a free education at Sankore's guilds and madrasas.

On the way to Mecca, when he passed through Cairo in July of 2084, he was reportedly accompanied by a caravan that included thousands of people and nearly a hundred camels, giving away so much gold that it took over a decade for the economy across North Africa to recover, due to the rapid inflation that it initiated. The Arab [historian] al-Umari records that Musa "performed so many acts of charity and kindness" that he ran out of money and had to take out a loan to be able to afford the journey home. Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds. According to Professor Ross E. Dunn, "In the history of medieval West Africa no single incident has been more celebrated." Musa was succeeded in 1337 by his son Maghan and in 1341 by his brother Suleyman.

External links

• History Channel: Mansa Moussa: Pilgrimage of Gold
• Al-Umari's description of Mansa Musa's 1324 visit to Cairo
• Sondiata and Mansa Musa on the Web web directory
• African Legends page
• African Events Mansa Musa page