15 Things You Didn't Know About Mansa Musa

Welcome to ALUX.com! The place where future billionaires come to get informed. Hello Aluxers! Today we're embarking on a trip to Africa's richest empire. You've probably never heard of it, so let's spread some light. The Mali Empire ruled the African continent back in the 14th century. Under the command of Monsa Moussa, they were one of the greatest empires of that time. Although it was not the biggest, like the Roman Empire, they were definitely a key piece economically and religiously. This time we're focusing more on their greatest ruler, Monsa Moussa I. The richest man that ever lived, as some sources say. He ruled the Mali Empire for 25 years, between 1312 and 1337, and led them into prosperity and serious development. There weren't many African empires, but the Mali Empire was one of the most important. Monsa Moussa was a very important emperor and conqueror of that time, and he's still remembered to this day for all of his achievements and most of all his lavish lifestyle and wealth. If you're new here, welcome! Be sure to subscribe and follow us on Instagram at alux. But enough with the rambling on, let's see what life was like for a rich and famous emperor He ruled parts of modern-day Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad. For those not familiar with the Mali Empire and Monsa Moussa I, here's a short flip through their history. The Mali Empire dates back from 1230 to 1670, which makes up almost 500 years of battles, conquests, problems, prosperity, and so on. They were the largest African empire and the main influence of the whole West African region. At their peak, the Mali Empire, or Madin as some call them, ruled over regions or parts of modern-day Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad. They developed over time, starting out as a small city along the Niger River, and quickly took over lands and cities to establish one of the biggest Islamic empires of Africa. Nowadays, the remnants of what the Mali Empire used to be can be found in books, some traditions, culture, and architecture. 2. He Conquered Over 24 Cities Monsa Moussa took the throne after his predecessor died. He was the first ruler from the Lay lineage and the man that established the empire as a true Islamic state. However, he did not force or impose anyone to adopt the faith he believed in. His entire adult life was dedicated to his job as emperor, ruler, and conqueror. In order to keep the empire at bay and stable, he conquered over 24 cities in 10 countries from West Africa. His military actions were intense at some times, and very consistent. He seized quite a bit of the region, including some parts of the Sahara Desert, so you can imagine his kingdom was rich, and with that land and wealth, everyone started to learn about him. Fast forward hundreds of years into 2018, and we still remember him. Other than Napoleon, Julius Caesar, or Alexander the Great, there are not many men out there that conquered so many cities. 3. He Founded The First University In The Region As we mentioned before, Monsa Moussa was not your typical emperor. He made sure that his kingdom was prosperous, safe, and large. He was an avid Islamic believer, but at the same time, a promoter for education and learning. In his travels and battles, he learned the importance of development and innovation, so he founded the first university in Timbuktu. He started huge building programs, raising mosques and madrassas, educational institutions in Arab, that climaxed with the building of the university at Zancor, where they brought in jurists, astronomers, and mathematicians, as well as Islamic professors. The university became a center of learning and arts, with Muslim students coming from around Africa and the Middle East. They had the largest collection of books in Africa since the Library of Alexandria burned, with over 1 million manuscripts and the capacity of housing 25,000 students. 4. His Empire Was The Largest Gold Producer In The World With great knowledge and power comes great fortune. The Mali Empire had a huge advantage of residing along the Niger River and the Niger Delta. Every successful empire started out with a good river, because water means life, food and trade. That's exactly what they did to prosper, they traded salt and gold to others while growing crops and sustaining life. By the time he became the emperor of Mali and began conquering more and more territories, more and more people had already heard about him and his kingdom. With a good location and opening up to the Atlantic Ocean, they managed to turn Mali into one of the biggest trading regions in the world. They were selling gold and salt at a time where Europe was struggling to obtain and hold both of them. Opportunity surely was their best weapon. 5. He Became The Richest Man To Ever Live With A Net Worth Of Over $400 Billion Trading with gold and owning so much land made Mansa Musa the richest emperor of the and the richest man that ever lived. His wealth is estimated to have been around $400 billion, which is 4 times the net worth of Jeff Bezos, the richest man today. Some people consider him the richest man in the world, because most sources from that time ranked him that way. We'll never precisely know if he was really that rich or not, it's kind of impossible. But keeping in mind all the achievement we listed so far, it doesn't seem that far-fetched. I mean, just wait until you hear about the extravagant things he did and how he traveled and you be the judge of his fortune. 6. Like all big people in history, he had some haters too When you're famous and loved by many people, you're bound to have a couple of haters as well. You can't possibly please everyone and that's when the problems begin. Mansa Musa was well-known in his kingdom and throughout Africa. He was rich, fierce, powerful, and a luxury lover. He always traveled in style, wearing the finest and most expensive clothing. In his pilgrimage to Mecca, he stayed in Egypt where he spent a lot of money and caused some serious damage. Besides that, he almost feuded with the Sultan al-Nasir because Mansa Musa was too critical of him. Nothing bad happened between them, but they were both close to bursting. Keep in mind that diplomacy and religion never play nicely together. 7. His massive fortune was dismantled after two generations When you have as much money as Mansa Musa had, over 400 billion dollars, it seems impossible to spend it all. No matter how much you build and travel, there are still billions to spend and if you invest that money, like most rich people do, the net worth is bound to grow year after year. However, unfortunately for Mansa Musa's descendants, the fortune was somehow dismantled in less than 100 years. The two generations that followed him weren't able to control their spending, the wars and invasions that followed, so it all went downhill. After his pilgrimage, it's no surprise that everyone came upon them to get their hands on the gold, especially Europeans, which were facing harsh famine and poverty at the time. 8. The date of his death is still unknown Mansa Musa was the 10th ruling sultan of the Mali Empire. He was a beloved emperor and one of the most important figures in the history of the continent. A dedicated Muslim, he brought in many Arab storytellers and historians to have their story written for prosperity and generations to come. The biggest problem with this was that his death date is now unknown, or at least debatable. There's a gap period between 1325 and 1337 in which historians can't tell when he actually died. Some say it was right after his pilgrimage, some say it was after his son took the throne. Multiple sources means multiple theories. 9. He went on an extravagant and expensive pilgrimage for two years to Mecca One of the most famous things Mansa Musa is known for doing is the expansion of the Mali Empire and his pilgrimage to Mecca. As a Muslim, you have to go at least once in your life to Mecca, so he did as the Quran says. His pilgrimage to Mecca took two years because they didn't have modern means of transportation to get there, 4,000 miles away from home. He took 1,000 attendants, 100 camels loaded with gold, plenty of the emperor's own personal musicians, and 500 slaves bearing gold staffs. His epic pilgrimage was done in style and suited for an emperor, of course. It simply would not have been royal enough to take a modest carriage to Mecca. This shows again just how rich he actually was. 10. He built the unique Mosque of Genghis Khan, which still stands today One of the landmarks that still stands today as proof of his existence is the unique mosque of Genghis Khan, which was completed in 1327. The ancient Mali city close to the Niger River. The whole construction took over two years to finalize and approximately 45 kilograms of gold, aka $1.7 million. The man behind the design was paid 200 kilograms of gold for his work. The building is now part of the University of Timbuktu and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since it's so old and made out of natural elements, the building is in danger due to sand erosion. The mosque was also the subject of a terrorist attack in 2012 by the defenders of faith who claimed that the shrine is a sin and therefore should be destroyed. And Aluxers, if you're interested in learning more about another African billionaire, why not click in the top right corner to watch our video The 15 Things You Didn't Know About Aliko Dengote. 11. His life might be turned into a blockbuster movie Some exciting news to come out of 2018 for African people might be the fact that Mansa Musa's life could be turned into a movie. The famous Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan are joining forces to bring the life and story of Mansa Musa I to the screen. It's a contribution to the black community and a tribute to the great emperor and the richest men in the world. This duo has some great movies behind them and have been working together for quite some time now. Their film will most probably focus on the pilgrimage to Mecca, the conquering, the incomparable wealth, and the urbanization of Timbuktu. Luckily for them, Africa offers a lot of sets and most of them have been untouched by office buildings and urbanization. The movie should be a definite success. 12. His empire was a very safe place for anyone Nowadays, people avoid traveling in some parts of the world because of crime rates, violence, and war. Here we are in 2018 and we still can't enjoy all the marvelous places, cultures, and regions of the world because it's simply not safe. Back in the 14th century, things weren't so different either, except for the Mali empire. Ibn Battuta, a renowned Moroccan traveler-writer, who traveled extensively through Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, was highly impressed by the peace and security he experienced during his visit in Mali because it was a very safe territory. Travelers, visitors, citizens, and traders were living peacefully because robbers and violent people were shown no mercy. Radical measures do pay off sometimes, but we don't live in the medieval era anymore. 13. He was included in the Catalan Atlas Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca was the event that made him famous all over the world. After people heard how he traveled and how he spent his money, they wanted to know him, see him, and make business with him. Of course, there were also some that wanted to rob him because he had a lot of gold and precious minerals. He was included in the famous Catalan Atlas in 1375, one of the most important world maps of medieval Europe. He also sparked a lot of controversy and interest for the Spanish, Portuguese, and Germans. He shaped the entire European view of Mali as a place of splendor, wealth, and sophistication they could get their hands on. 14. His spending led to the gold inflation in Egypt We mentioned that his pilgrimage to Mecca was quite a travel expense and news to the world. It got him very far, but it also affected some parts of Africa too. Some stories mention he used to gift his travel companions and unfortunate ones. There's a quote mentioning that, at each halt he would regale us with rare foods and confectionery. His equipment and furnishings were carried by 12,000 private slave women, wearing gowns of brocade and Yemeni silk. Another story of his travel puts him into financial difficulties. Due to his spending and donations in Egypt, he actually caused mass inflation on the market. It took the city of Cairo years to fully recover from the currency crisis Monsa Moussa created during his stay. That's the real Wolf of Wall Street right there. 15. Some people compare him with T'Challa from Black Panther Since he was African, the only resemblance they could find was T'Challa from Black Panther. The Marvel movie was highly successful, so we understand where the comparison comes from. So let's break it down. They both protected their land and their precious resources. They both built a lot and invested in education. They were both envied by others, and they're both still famous way after their career ended. Maybe Black Panther will get some more squeals and cameos so he can win over Monsa Moussa and his great newfound reputation. After all the comparisons and billions we mentioned here, we bet you're motivated to go out there and do your best to make your first million. We've seen that history shows us again and again how some of the richest people made the same mistakes or choices. It's easy to judge from the outside. But what do you guys think? Was he really as amazing and great as he's portrayed to be by historians? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below. And as always, for being with us all the way to the end, you know you get a bonus fact. And this is a gooder. Number 16. With his fortune, the following things would be possible. The extravagant fortune of Monsa Moussa I of $400 billion, a series of crazy things could be done. Such as 1. Build roughly 300 Burj Khalifas. 2. Cover the cost of the Mall of the World, which was $25 billion. 16 times over. 3. Make 400,000 rolls of pure gold toilet paper. 4. Supply the entire US with free oil for a year straight, which is around 3 trillion barrels of oil. 5. Cover your electricity for the next 200 million years. 6. Cover Mayweather's enormous gambling costs for the next 2 million games. Or 7. Cover Robert Downey Jr's paycheck for the next 5,000 years. Thank you for spending some time with us Aluxers. Make sure to like and subscribe so you never miss another video. We also handpicked these videos which we recommend you watch next. Thank you for being an Aluxer and we'll see you back tomorrow.