Mansa Musa Reign: The Richest Man In Africa’s History
During the era stretching through Mansa Musa reign (1312–1337) and that of his brother Sulayman, the Mali Empire reached its highest degree of accomplishment. This period lasted from 1312 until 1337. (1341–1360). Mali’s territory is believed to have extended from the headwaters of the river Niger and from where the Gambia and Senegal Rivers reach the Atlantic coast, all the way to the southern fringes of the Sahara and the country that is located beyond Timbuktu in the Niger Bend.
This period of time coincides with Mali’s greatest period of territorial expansion. The prosperity of Mali’s rulers (mansaw) was dependent on their control of commercial towns and routes to the goldfields in the interior of the country. Copper and salt were examples of highly valued imports that were subject to a high level of taxation, and the mansaw was able to amass large quantities of gold by demanding tribute from the producers.
The people of Mali came from a great number of different ethnic groups, many of which intermarried and spoke each other’s languages. These individuals included people who spoke dialects of the Mande language such as Maninka, Bamana, and Soninke, as well as members of nearby communities such as the Fula and the Dogon. Despite the fact that commerce played a significant role, the bulk of the population was involved in subsistence activities such as farming, fishing, and rearing cattle. Additionally, there were specialized artisan groups such as blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and potters.
The Arabic writings of al-‘Umari (1301–1349), who interviewed eyewitness informants in Cairo, Ibn Battuta (1304–1368), who visited Mali in 1352–1353; and the renowned Arab historian Ibn Khaldun (1332–406), who recorded oral historical traditions from Malian scholars, are the primary sources for the majority of the information about Mansa Musa that was recorded during his own time. The combined accounts of al-‘Umari and Ibn Battilta conjure up an image of a royal court in which the mansa resided in a tall pavilion and sat on a dais that was ornamented with ivory and silk under a dome that had an image of a golden bird the size of a falcon.
A gold hat and a crimson gown were the traditional garb for the mansa when attending ceremonial events. He was escorted by hundreds of musicians and armed slaves, and his royal insignia included a quiver and bow that he kept with him at all times. The enormous flag that announced Mansa Musa’s approach had a yellow emblem set against a background of red whenever he traveled by horseback. In Mande society, it was customary for the ruler to speak through an intermediary, known as a jeli.
When Ibn Battuta visited the Mali court (during the reign of Mansa Sulayman), the leading spokesperson of the court was adorned with fine silk brocade garments, a sword with a golden sheath, and boots with spurs. According to Ibn Battuta, any ordinary citizen who was called into the presence of the sovereign was required to go in ragged clothes in order to express his humility. Additionally, when the visitor was addressed by the mansa, he was required to strip down to the waist and sprinkle dust on his own head and back.
It is said that Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim, and the events that transpired on his visit to Mecca in the year 1324 helped propel him to fame beyond the borders of the Mali Empire. In accordance with the tradition of the area, Mansa Musa consulted a diviner in order to ascertain the most propitious time to leave Mali for a voyage that would last at least a year. This was done so that he might leave on the most fortunate day possible. He waited for the right time, which took nine months, during which time provisions for the trip were gathered from every part of the kingdom.
There were thousands of individuals in the mansa’s retinue when it set off, including members of the court, baggage carriers, and bodyguards. According to the Ta’rikh al-Fattash, which was published more than three centuries after the incident (about 1665), Mansa Musa was also joined by his older wife, Inari Kanuté, who had five hundred of her own attendants with her on the journey. After enduring months of hardship while traveling through the Sahara Desert, the royal caravan from Mali finally made it to Egypt, where it emerged near the pyramids in Cairo.
Both al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun heard from their informants that Mansa Musa left Mali with somewhere between 80 and 100 loads of gold, and that his extravagant spending throughout the journey, and particularly in Cairo, made his pilgrimage a sensational event. This information was passed on to al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun. An informant of al-Umari claims that Mansa Musa gave the sum of 50,000 dinars to Sultan al-Nasir as a gift upon his arrival, and that he was similarly kind to a great number of other people. Following the emperor of Mali’s visit to Cairo, the city was inundated with so much money that it caused a decline in the price of gold that lasted for more than a decade.
The religiosity of Mansa Musa and the refined behavior of his well-dressed associates left an impression on the witnesses in Cairo, and they were impressed. Multiple interviews were conducted with the emperor, during which he was questioned about his kingdom and the events that led up to his ascension to the position of mansa. The gift of richly ornamented robes of honor that Mansa Musa and his courtiers received from Sultan al-Nasir, along with saddled and bridled horses, the use of a palace for the duration of their visit, as well as pack animals and provisions for their onward journey to Mecca, was presented by the Sultan.
After spending close to three months in Cairo, the caravan from Mali continued its journey toward Mecca in the company of Egyptian travelers. While Mansa Musa was in Mecca, he was successful in persuading four shurafa, who were descendants of the family of the Prophet Muhammad, to go with him and their families all the way back to Mali. Ibn Khaldun reported that while traveling back to Cairo from Mecca, the Malians narrowly avoided disaster when they became separated from the larger Arab caravan and were forced to make their way to Suez, where they survived on fish until they were rescued.
The Malians narrowly avoided disaster when they became separated from the larger Arab caravan and were forced to make their way to Suez. As the pilgrims made their way back to Cairo, Mansa Musa discovered that the gold he had taken with him was no longer sufficient. As a result, he was forced to borrow money from the city’s merchants, which he eventually repaid with an extremely high rate of interest. Abu-Ishiq al-Sahili, a poet and architect from Andalusia, traveled back to Mali at the same time as Mansa Musa. Also accompanying Mansa Musa on this journey was a shurafa from Mecca.
It is thought that Al-Sahili built one of the mosques in Timbuktu after settling there. During his time in Mansa Musa’s capital, Al-Sahili designed and constructed an ornate palace topped with a dome. It is believed that Mansa Musa, by means other than the exorbitant expenditures he made during the legendary journey, was the one who established Mali’s reputation as a great nation well beyond the borders of his imperial territories. He promoted Islamic knowledge by delivering students to Fez in order for them to receive an education there, and he established diplomatic ties between himself and the monarch of Morocco.
In order to accomplish this goal, high-ranking nobles from each kingdom were traded with one another and given the role of ambassador. Relations that were mutually advantageous were maintained with the heirs of these monarchs until the latter half of the fourteenth century, when Mali and Morocco were both victimized by dynastic rivalry. Before embarking on his well-known journey, Mansa Musa gave his son Magha the responsibility of ruling the kingdom in his absence. After Mansa Musa’s death in 1337, Magha once again took leadership of the kingdom.
Because of his ascension, Musa’s brother Sulayman, who was traditionally the eldest male in the family, was stripped of the power that had traditionally been theirs. Sadly, Magha passed away within the first four years, and Sulayman was elevated to the position of mansa at that point. Ibn Khaldun called Mansa Sulayman a cruel and oppressive king, but despite this, Mansa Sulayman was able to keep the empire that had grown and prospered under the wise and kind rule of Mansa Musa during the empire’s golden age.
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