dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Mansa Musa, Musa I Of Mali, Musa Keita I Of Mali, Musa Keita I

"Musa I (c. 1280 – c. 1337), or Mansa Musa, was the tenth Mansa (which translates to "sultan", "conqueror"[2] or "emperor"[3][4][5][6][7]) of the Mali Empire, an Islamic West African state. He has been described as the wealthiest individual of the Middle Ages.

At the time of Musa's ascension to the throne, Mali in large part consisted of the territory of the former Ghana Empire, which Mali had conquered. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Mauritania and the modern state of Mali. During his reign, Musa held many titles, such as "Emir of Melle", "Lord of the Mines of Wangara", and "Conqueror of Ghanata".[8]

Musa conquered 24 cities, along with their surrounding districts.[9] During Musa's reign, Mali may have been the largest producer of gold in the world, and Musa has been considered one of the richest people in history.[10] However, modern commentators such as Time magazine have concluded that there is no accurate way to quantify Musa's wealth.[11]"

Mansa Musa came to the throne through a practice of appointing a deputy when a king goes on his pilgrimage to Mecca or some other endeavor, and later naming the deputy as heir. According to primary sources, Musa was appointed deputy of Abubakari Keita II, the king before him, who had reportedly embarked on an expedition toexplore the limits of the Atlantic Ocean, and never returned

Musa was a devout Muslim, and his pilgrimage to Mecca made him well known across northern Africa and the Middle East. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean".[20] He would spend much time fostering the growth of the religion within his empire.

Islam and pilgrimage to Mecca

Musa made his pilgrimage between 1324 and 1325.[21][22] His procession reportedly included 60,000 men, all wearing brocade and Persian silk, including12,000 slaves,[23] who each carried 1.8 kg (4 lb) of gold bars, and heralds dressed in silks, who bore gold staffs, organized horses, and handled bags. Musa provided all necessities for the procession, feeding the entire company of men and animals.[20] Those animals included 80 camels which each carried 23–136 kg (50–300 lb) of gold dust. Musa gave the gold to the poor he met along his route. Musa not only gave to the cities he passed on the way to Mecca, including Cairo and Medina, but also traded gold for souvenirs. It was reported that he built a mosque every Friday.[24]

Because of his nature of giving, Musa's massive spending and

generous donations created a massive ten year gold recession.

In the cities of Cairo, Medina, and Mecca, the sudden influx of gold devalued the metal significantly. Prices of goods and wares became greatly inflated. This mistake became apparent to Musa and on his way back from Mecca, he borrowed all of the gold he could carry from money-lenders in Cairo at high interest. This is the only time recorded in history that one man directly controlled the price of gold in the Mediterranean.[20]Some historians[who?] believe the

Hajj was less out of religious devotion than to garner

international attention to the flourishing state of Mali.

The creation of a recession of that magnitude could have been

purposeful.After all, Cairo was the leading gold market at the time (where people went to purchase large amounts of gold). In order to relocate these markets to Timbuktu or Gao, Musa would have to first affect Cairo's gold economy. Musa made a major point of showing off his nation's wealth. His goal was to create a ripple and he succeeded greatly in this, so much so that he lands himself and Mali on the Catalan Atlas of 1375. He also receives a visit from now a well-known traveler of the Muslim World, Ibn Battuta."