Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. the descendants of the nearly 1,000-year-old objects made in Africa. Gold dust had been weighed and bagged for use at least since the time of the Ghana Empire. [67] News of the Malian empire's city of wealth even traveled across the Mediterranean to southern Europe, where traders from Venice, Granada, and Genoa soon added Timbuktu to their maps to trade manufactured goods for gold.[68]. [71] However, Ibn Khaldun also reports that Musa sent an envoy to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali for his conquest of Tlemcen, which took place in May 1337, but by the time Abu al-Hasan sent an envoy in response, Musa had died and Suleyman was on the throne, suggesting Musa died in 1337. [62] According to one account given by Ibn Khaldun, Musa's general Saghmanja conquered Gao. The exact date of Musa's accession is debated. [78] Nehemia Levtzion regarded 1337 as the most likely date,[72] which has been accepted by other scholars. With a global population of some 11 million, the Mandinka are the best-known ethnic group of the Mande peoples, all of whom speak different dialects of the Mande language. During this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states such as Bono state. Dates: 4001591 C. E.", "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? The House of Saud is ruled by the descendants of King Abdulaziz, who founded and unified Saudi Arabia in 1932. A very large number of families that make up the Mandinka community were born in Manding. The mansa could also replace a farba if he got out of control, as in the case of Diafunu. Mansa Ms, either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, came to the throne in 1307. so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the genealogy implied is literal. Musa I (c. 1280 - 1337), better known as Mansa Musa, was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire.Widely considered to have been the wealthiest person in known history (some sources measuring his wealth at around $400 billion adjusted to inflation), his vast wealth was used to attract scholars, merchants and architects to Mali, establishing it as a beacon of Islamic trade, culture and learning. [93] Sandaki Keita should not however be taken to be this person's name but a title. [27] His list does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual organization of the Mali Empire,[28] and the identification of the listed provinces is controversial. [84][85] However, some aspects of Musa appear to have been incorporated into a figure in Mand oral tradition known as Fajigi, which translates as "father of hope". Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. Nelson, 1971. If the mansa didn't believe the dyamani-tigui was capable or trustworthy, a farba might be installed to oversee the province or administer it outright. [72] In contrast, al-Umari, writing twelve years after Musa's hajj, in approximately 1337,[73] claimed that Musa returned to Mali intending to abdicate and return to live in Mecca but died before he could do so,[74] suggesting he died even earlier than 1332. [40] In fact, there is a conspicuous absence of archaeological samples of any kind from Niani dated to the late 13th through early 15th centuries, suggesting that Niani may have been uninhabited during the heyday of the Mali Empire. You cannot download interactives. [96], According to some Arabic writers, Musa's gift-giving caused a depreciation in the value of gold in Egypt. During his monarchy Musa or Musa, I was highly powered and the richest individual king Mansa Musa the . After the publication of this atlas, Mansa Musa became cemented in the global imagination as a figure of stupendous wealth.After his return from Mecca, Mansa Musa began to revitalize cities in his kingdom. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Mansa Mari Djata Keita II became seriously ill in 1372,[93] and power moved into the hands of his ministers until his death in 1374. [130] Farbas were picked by the mansa from the conquering farin or family members. He has been subject to popular claims that he is the wealthiest person in history,[5] but his actual wealth is not known with any certainty. He ruled between 707-732/737 according to the Islamic calendar (AH), which translates to 1307-1332/1337 CE. The Gao mosque was built of burnt bricks, which had not, until then, been used as a material for building in West Africa. In search of a status discourse for Mande". Via one of the royal ladies of his court, Musa transformed Sankore from an informal madrasah into an Islamic university. [93] Mansa Maghan Keita I spent wastefully and was the first lacklustre emperor since Khalifa Keita. [70] These men had to be of the horon (freemen) caste and appear with their own arms. [48], Parallel to this debate, many scholars have argued that the Mali Empire may not have had a permanent "capital" in the sense that the word is used today, and historically was used in the Mediterranean world. After many years in exile, first at the court of Wagadou and then at Mema, Sundiata was sought out by a Niani delegation and begged to combat the Sosso and free the kingdoms of Manden forever. The date of Mahmud's death and identity of his immediate successor are not recorded, and there is a gap of 65 years before another mansa's identity is recorded. Heusch, Luc de: "The Symbolic Mechanisms of Sacred Kingship: Rediscovering Frazer". Ibn Battuta had written that in Taghaza there were no trees and there is only sand and the salt mines. [99] The gold Musa brought on his pilgrimage probably represented years of accumulated tribute that Musa would have spent much of his early reign gathering. Ibn Khaldun recorded that in 776 A.H or 1374/1375 AD he interviewed a Sijilmasan scholar named Muhammad b. Wasul who had lived in Gao and had been employed in its judiciary. Mansa Mari Djata, later named Sundiata Keita, saw the conquest of several key locals in the Mali Empire. Scholars who were mainly interested in history, Qurnic theology, and law were to make the mosque of Sankore in Timbuktu a teaching centre and to lay the foundations of the University of Sankore. A kl-koun led free troops into battle alongside a farima ("brave man") during campaign. [13][12] In the Manding languages, the modern descendants of the language spoken at the core of the Mali Empire, Manden or Manding is the name of the region corresponding to the heartland of the Mali Empire. [72], According to Niane's version of the epic, during the rise of Kaniaga, Sundiata of the Keita clan was born in the early 13th century. Candice Goucher, Charles LeGuin, and Linda Walton. In 1645, the Bamana attacked Manden, seizing both banks of the Niger right up to Niani. The bow figured prominently in Mandinka warfare and was a symbol of military force throughout the culture. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. [69] The university became a center of learning and culture, drawing Muslim scholars from around Africa and the Middle East to Timbuktu. Sakura was able to stabilize the political situation in Mali. This can be interpreted as either "Musa son of Abu Bakr" or "Musa descendant of Abu Bakr." This trend would continue into colonial times against Tukulor enemies from the west.[121]. The dates of Musa's reign are uncertain. Accounts of how many people and how much gold he spent vary. Ibn Battuta, who visited the capital city from 1352 to 1353, called it Mali. Therefore, Arabic visitors may have assigned the "capital" label merely to whatever major city the mansa was based out of at the time of their visit. Bowmen formed a large portion of the field army as well as the garrison. Under his reign, Mali conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Songhai. In Mali he promoted trans-Saharan trade that further increased the empires wealth. In 1330, the kingdom of Mossi invaded and conquered the city of Timbuktu. [89][85] Contemporary Arabic sources may have been trying to express that Musa had more gold than they thought possible, rather than trying to give an exact number. During this period only the Mongol Empire was larger. Mansa Musa Keita was succeeded by his son, Maghan Keita I, in 1337. When he did finally bow, he said he was doing so for God alone. Mali was thriving for a long time, but like other west African kingdoms, Mali began to fall. World History Encyclopedia. The Sahelian and Saharan towns of the Mali Empire were organised as both staging posts in the long-distance caravan trade and trading centres for the various West African products. He's especially famous for his hajj to Mecca, during which he sponsored numerous mosques and madrases, and supposedly spent so much gold along the way that the metal was severely devalued, which for many people was not a very good thing. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. He ruled the nation for nearly 25 years until his death in 1337 and is . In 1542, the Songhai invaded the capital city but were unsuccessful in conquering the empire. The fame of Mansa Musa and his phenomenal wealth spread as he traveled on his hajjto Mecca. [5] In c. 1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. Niane, D. T.: "Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali". Ms Is pilgrimage caravan to Mecca in 1324 comprised some 60,000 people and an immeasurable amount of gold. "[42], Early European writers such as Maurice Delafosse believed that Niani, a city on what is now the border between Guinea and Mali, was the capital for most of the empire's history, and this notion has taken hold in the popular imagination. The Songhai kingdom measured several hundreds of miles across, so that the conquest meant the acquisition of a vast territory. By 1350, the empire covered approximately 478,819 square miles (1,240,140km2). In their own country they use only slave women and men for transport, but for long journeys such as pilgrimages they have mounts. Musa is known for his wealth and generosity. He had so much gold that during his hajj to Mecca, the Mansa passed out gold to all the poor along the way. This region straddles the border between what is now southern Mali and northeastern Guinea. Musa and his entourage gave and spent freely while in Cairo. Imperial Malian architecture was characterised by Sudano-Sahelian architecture with a Malian substyle, which is exemplified by the Great Mosque of Djenne. [92] Furthermore, it is difficult to meaningfully compare the wealth of historical figures such as Mansa Musa, due to the difficulty of separating the personal wealth of a monarch from the wealth of the state and the difficulty of comparing wealth in highly different societies. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [56] Musa and his entourage lingered in Mecca after the last day of the hajj. Ms Is hajj left a lasting impression of Malis splendour on both the Islamic and European worlds. In this lesson, students read one recent blog post about Musa I of Mali's wealth, followed by two historical documents from the fourteenth-century, to answer the question: Was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? [12] However, these hypotheses have been rejected by locals and are inconsistent with the apparent cognate status of Mali and Mand.[19]. Around 1550, Mali attacked Bighu in an effort to regain access to its gold. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and adorned with arabesques of striking colours. Musa went on hajj to Mecca in 1324, traveling with an enormous entourage and a vast supply of gold. Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. [45] He would have spent much time fostering the growth of the religion within his empire. [86], The name "Musa" has become virtually synonymous with pilgrimage in Mand tradition, such that other figures who are remembered as going on a pilgrimage, such as Fakoli, are also called Musa. Despite the faama of Niani's wishes to respect the prophecy and put Sundiata on the throne, the son from his first wife Sassouma Brt was crowned instead. [15], Musa ascended to power in the early 1300s[i] under unclear circumstances. The voyage is often incorrectly attributed to a Mansa Abu Bakr II, but no such mansa ever reigned. [11][12] The version recorded by medieval Arab geographers is Mali (Arabic: , romanized:Ml). In the early 15th century, Mali was still powerful enough to conquer and settle new areas. [50] Such impermanent capitals are a historically widespread phenomenon, having occurred in other parts of Africa such as Ethiopia, as well as outside Africa, such as in the Holy Roman Empire.[51]. The most common measure for gold within the realm was the ambiguous mithqal (4.5grams of gold). Al-Umari said that before Musa's arrival, a mithqal of gold was worth 25 silver dirhams, but that it dropped to less than 22 dirhams afterward and did not go above that number for at least twelve years. The farimba operated from a garrison with an almost entirely slave force, while a farima functioned on field with virtually all freemen. His administration and military work allowed the empire to survive through the 16th century, solidifying him, his empire, and his family into the imaginations of storytellers around the world. We all know of Mansa Musa, possibly the richest man to ever exist. During the height of Sundiata's power, the land of Manden (the area populated by the Mandinka people) became one of its provinces. The Wangara, an Old Soninke Diaspora in West Africa? Mansa Musa, also known as Musa Keita I of Mali, was the tenth Sultan of the Mali Empire. [40], Various sources cite several other cities as capitals of the Mali Empire, some in competition with the Niani hypothesis and others addressing different time periods. [124] Following this disastrous set of events, Mansa Mama Maghan abandoned the capital of Niani. The Cairo that Mansa Ms visited was ruled by one of the greatest of the Mamlk sultans, Al-Malik al-Nir. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. CREDITS:
Chart/Narration: Matt Baker Research/Artwork: From Nothing Team
Editing: Jack Rackam
Intro animation: Syawish Rehman
Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. Corrections? [60] Other scholars whom Musa brought to Mali included Maliki jurists. Under his leadership, Mali conquered new territories and trade with North Africa increased. Eventually, due to Muhammad's failure to return, Musa was recognized as mansa.[89]. Mansa Musa was immensely wealthy (whether he can be regarded as personally wealthy or wealthy because he controlled the gold mines of Mali is, of course, a .