Mansa Musa is the richest man in history
The African supreme ruler Musa Keita I is considered the richest man of all time - richer than you can imagine. In the 14th century, he ruled the Mali Empire with the richest natural resources, among which gold took the first place.
Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad are now fully or partially located in these expanses.
In 1375, it was depicted on the Catalan Atlas — one of the most important world maps of medieval Europe.
Musa Keita I came to power in 1312. At his coronation, he was given the title of mansa, that is, the supreme ruler. In those distant times, most of Europe was starving and mired in the abyss of civil wars, but many African kingdoms were at the peak of their power.
During the reign of Mansa Musa significantly increased the borders of his empire. He annexed the city of Timbuktu and restored power over Gao. His domain stretched for more than three thousand kilometers.
The rest of the world was able to estimate approximately the size of Mansa's huge fortune in 1324, when he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, having traveled about six thousand kilometers. The Hajj was far from a cheap event.
Mansa Musa's caravan stretched beyond the horizon. Chroniclers describe tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians and slaves, as well as many camels and horses carrying a huge amount of gold bullion.
During a stopover in Cairo, he spent so much gold and donated so much money to the poor that he caused huge inflation! It took the city years to fully recover from the currency crisis.
Thanks to this extravagant journey, mansa Musa was on the map.
At the same time, material wealth was not the only concern of the king. Being a true Muslim, he took a special interest in the city of Timbuktu, urbanizing it by building schools, mosques and a large university.
He also built the legendary Jingereber Cathedral Mosque in Timbuktu, which has survived to this day.
Mansa Musa died in 1337, his reign lasted 25 years. Mansa's rich heritage has been preserved for several generations. But to this day there are mausoleums, libraries and mosques - silent witnesses of the golden age in the history of Mali.