On one trip, his charitable donations single-handedly, and accidentally, caused 12 years of hyperinflationary crisis. With a wealth too vast to be calculated, the richest person to have ever existed, supported by well documented and audited literature, may have slipped your awareness. Don't blame yourself, blame traditional historiography's Eurocentric approach. Today we remember the forgotten, and broaden our realm of knowledge.

Seriously how much light is given to pre-colonial achievements of historical actors from Africa?

That's right, the richest man in history wasn't from Silicon Valley or the Silk Road

He was from Africa- from Mali to be more specific. This Emporer's wealth was too extreme to be able to calculate, let alone imagine.

Forget the billionaire CEOs and tech giants engrossed with making it to the top of the Forbes list, here's the story of Mansa Musa.

The King of Mali

Musa took the throne in 1312, in the backdrop of a flourishing Mali empire rich with Salt and Gold. With the majority of Europe embroiled in civil war, the West African kingdom expanded from the coast of the Atlantic ocean all the way to Timbuktu and the Sahara desert- a sizeable part of the continent. 

As the empire grew, wealth gushed into Mali and the King's treasury.

A Devout Muslim

One of the King's defining historical charecteristics was his piety. Mali was a Muslim majority empire, and the greatest legends that spread of Musa often came from his Hajj and pilgrimages to a holy site for Muslims: Mecca.

He took flamboyant and colorful caravans on his journey- his first in 1324- taking more than 4000 soldiers and servants with him all dressed in fine Persian silks. The most striking display was his horses and camels, often carrying hundreds of pounds of gold. 

Passing through Cairo, his Presence was felt for a Decade

The large crowds he would travel with and his noticeable stock of gold could hardly be ignored. On his way to Mecca, passing through Cairo, he displayed his immaculate personality when invited to meet with the monarch. However, true to the purpose of his pilgrimage, Musa declined the invitation.

Rather, historians note, it was insisted multiple times by the Sultan of Cairo, al-Malik al-Nasir, that they should come to meet. Musa's people would however be uncomfortable with their king meeting the Sultan as they knew he would insist on a greeting where Musa would kiss the ground and the Sultan's hand.

Eventually, they encountered but with a rocky start as Musa refused to kiss the Sultan's feet. However, the monarchs struck an understanding and after an exchange, Musa and his people would be able to lodge in Cairo. In turn, Musa left an abundance on wealth in the city.

So much wealth, he caused over a decade of crisis

He left charitable donations in most streets of Cairo as well as the royal offices. Unintentionally, the metal which was then rare and very valuable in Egypt, was made abundant in a very short amount of time.

The crisis that ensued took 12 years to rid. The value of the metal dropped significantly in Egypt, causing hyperinflationary mechanisms of the economy to kick.

Timbuktu

You may have astonishingly heard of the flourishing City, but not the man that invested so heavily in it. Amongst his many territories, comprising of modern day Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania and Mali, his favored jewel was Timbuktu.

He built infrastructure in the city which had grown to become a vital trading hub: schools, universities, libraries and mosques were propped up in every corner including the wonder of the Djinguereber Mosque, standing the test of time and remaining an active public and religious amenity for over 500 years.

The Legend

His stories and accomplishments reached far and wide- even the Catalan Atlas featured him posthumously in 1375 under a drawing by Abraham Cresques. The Atlas was a vital resource for Medieval Explorers.

“Imagine as much gold as you think a human being could possess and double it, that’s what all the accounts are trying to communicate,” he said. “This is the richest guy anyone has ever seen.”- (Rudolph Ware, University of Michigan, 2018)

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