Mansa Musa is the richest man in history
African supreme ruler Musa Keita I is considered the richest man of all times and peoples - richer than you can imagine.
In the XIV century, he ruled the empire of Mali with the richest natural resources, among which gold occupied the first place.
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Musa Keita I came to power in 1312. At the 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 height of their power.
During the reign of Mansa Musa significantly increased the boundaries of his empire. He annexed the city of Timbuktu and restored power over Gao. His possessions stretched over three thousand kilometers.
Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad are now located in these open spaces in whole or in part.
The rest of the world was able to roughly estimate the size of the vast fortune of the mansa in 1324, when he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, traveling about six thousand kilometers. Hajj was far from a cheap undertaking.
The caravan of Mansa Musa stretched beyond the horizon. Chroniclers describe tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians and slaves, as well as many camels and horses, carrying huge amounts of gold bars.
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.
In 1375, he was depicted on the Catalan Atlas, one of the most important world maps of medieval Europe.
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 through the construction of schools, mosques and a large university.
He also built the legendary Djingareber Cathedral Mosque in Timbuktu, which still stands today.
Mansa Musa died in 1337, his reign lasted 25 years. The rich heritage of mansa 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.