African King Musa Keita I is thought to be the richest person of all time — “richer than anyone could describe,” reports Time.
Literally. His fortune was incomprehensible, Time’s Jacob Davidson writes: “There’s really no way to put an accurate number on his wealth.”
He ruled the Mali Empire in the 14th century and his land was laden with lucrative natural resources, most notably gold.
While in power, Mansa Musa expanded the borders of his empire tremendously. He annexed the city of Timbuktu and reestablished power over Gao. All in all, his empire stretched about 2,000 miles.
Mansa Musa was in charge of a lot of land. To put it into perspective, he ruled all (or parts) of modern day Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad.
The rest of the world caught wind of his great fortune in 1324, when he made the nearly 4,000 mile pilgrimage to Mecca. He didn’t do it on the cheap.
“Not one to travel on a budget, he brought a caravan stretching as far as the eye could see,” reports Smith. “Chroniclers describe an entourage of tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians and slaves, 500 heralds bearing gold staffs and dressed in fine silks, and many camels and horses bearing an abundance of gold bars.”
On his stop in Cairo, he spent so much gold and donated so much money to the poor that he caused mass inflation! It would take years for the city to fully recover from the currency crisis.
On his stop in Cairo, he spent so much gold and donated so much money to the poor that he caused mass inflation! It would take years for the city to fully recover from the currency crisis.
Cairo, Egypt.Emad Raúf/flickr
Source: BlackPast.org
The extravagant journey put Mansa Musa on the map — quite literally.
Wikimedia Commons
He was included on the 1375 Catalan Atlas (pictured above), one of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe.
“Material riches weren’t the king’s only concern,” says Smith. “As a devout Muslim, he took a particular interest in Timbuktu.” He urbanized the city of Timbuktu by building schools, mosques, and a major university.
He also built the legendary Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, pictured below, which still stands.
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