Mansa Musa was the ruler of Mali, a kingdom in West Africa, that ruled for 25 years, from 1312-1337. He was the first ruler in West Africa to practice Islam devoutly. The question is raised, was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? Mansa Musa of Mali Named World’s Richest Man of All Time; Gates and Buffet Also Make List describes Mansa Musa from the perspective of bloggers describing Brian Warner, the founder of Celebrity Net Worth. According to Mansa Musa of Mali Named World’s Richest Man of All Time; Gates and Buffet Also Make List, a blog post on The Huffington Post, on October 17, 2012, Mansa Musa is the richest person ever. “The 14th-century emperor from West Africa was worth a staggering $400 billion, after adjusting for inflation, as …show more content…
They traded away gold until they depressed its value in Egypt and caused its price to fall. This has been the state of affairs for about twelve years until this day by reason of the large amount of gold which they brought into Egypt and spent there.” This is important because when the author of Pathways of Vision in the Realms of the Metropolises writes,” He left no emir or holder of a royal office without the gift of a load of gold. The people of Cairo made incalculable profits out of him…”, it shows that Mansa Musa had a lot of assets to make such huge profits and to give to every person in a royal office, and shows off Mansa Musa’s opulence. Also, when the author of Pathways of Vision in the Realms of the Metropolises, Al-Umari, writes, ” They traded away gold until they depressed its value in Egypt… This has been the state of affairs for about twelve years...”, it demonstrates that Mansa Musa must have had incalculable amounts of gold to be able to crash the market of gold. Also, Mansa Musa must have had a lot of wealth in order to give gold to every high ranking official and be able to crash the gold market for 12 whole
The Major religions spread across Eurasia and Africa through trade routes and conquest. Along with the religions came ideas and practices to new and distance places, changing local populations and create new traditional beliefs and customs.
Such as items like gold,salt,and copper to offer many nations. Second, Mali took the Islamic faith as its official religion, which strengthened bonds with other Islamic nations in Africa. Third, Mali had a great leader with the name of Mansa Musa, who ensured peace and order, and enhanced the economy, and also promoted academic excellence. Lastly, Mali had a strong military that was able to protect its borders and thrive in expansion. The Mali Kingdom was a truly great empire.
Imagine being the richest man in North Africa. Mansa Musa was not only this but a ruler and a very religious muslim. Mansa Musa was a very rich African emperor who walked all the way from his Kingdom of Mali to Cairo then eventually to Mecca with the goal to follow his religious guidelines of giving away 2.5 percent of his whole wealth and completing his holy pilgrimage.
Africans though hesitant, acquiescently submitted into the insistent requests of Arabians for Islamic conversion for several reasons. One reason is because Sundiata, ruler of Mali, practiced Islam. Sundiata practiced Islam intermixed with the traditional western African religions. This is known as syncretism, or combining two starkly different cultures or religions into one. The second reason was because during the fifteenth century, the Muslims took over the institution of trade and commerce. The spread of Islam was beneficial to the development of West Africa because it helped to unify the people. Most people are unified by religion, language, or excogitation. It was understood that power most gracefully exists when there is (one) central idea. Furthermore, they also believed that converting to Islam would bring them closer to the Arabian traders to get better deals on the goods. This proved to be true considering that in Sundiata, his adherence to Islam allowed him to network, negotiate policies, and form global
The Mali Empire lasted from 700 AD to 1600 AD which consisted of the Ghana Empire (700-1100 AD), Mali Empire (800-1550 AD), and the Songhay Empire (1300-1600 AD). At the peak of the Malian Empire it stretched from the east coast to the middle of Niger. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and was most well-known for its great wealth for the time. One such example is Mansa Musa who was the wealthiest person during his time and is believed to be the wealthiest person ever. He got his wealth from harvesting salt, selling slaves and mining for gold. Mansa Musa was emperor of the Mali Empire from 1312 till 1337. He became ruler after the death of his previous predecessor Abu-Bakr II. In 1324 twelve years after his reign as king he began a pilgrimage to Mecca. When going to Mecca he brought thousands of escorts with him and about 80 camels worth of gold, or two tons worth. Within the thousands he brought wives, consorts, and as many as 12,000 slaves. And with the gold Mansa gave some of it to the poor and the rest he gave it for tribute at Mecca. When coming back from his trip he brought back scholars, bureaucrats, and architects. One of the architects he brought back designed the Mosque Djinguereber. The pilgrimage he did boosted education adding libraries and universities. Many other Islamic leaders and dignitaries brought
In Document E it states that "...he told me of the opulence [luxury; extreme wealth], manly virtues, and piety of his sultan [king]." This means that while Mansa was
On his stop in Cairo, Egypt, the Emperor gave out so much gold that he produced a brief decrease in its esteem. Cairo's gold market recuperated over 10 years after the
Beside it was a row of figures stretching out ten years, each year ranging from 300 to 500 million dollars. Was it cash flowing in or out? Should he add it? Subtract it? Ignore it?” (Barbarians 369).
African society used bodies of water such as the Nile, the Red Sea, and many more to transport goods across the continent and generate profit. For example, the city of “Aksum reached its height between 325-360. Aksum’s location made it an important international trading center.” After analyzing the map of trade routes in Document 1, it is clear Aksum was strategically built to have ties to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These two bodies of water give the city the freedom to import and export goods. Additionally, this work of trade did not come without reward. Cities who succeeded in the business became overly wealthy and had surpluses of gold and other riches. A king, Mansa Mansa, who expanded the Mali kingdom to be twice the size of Ghana, was not afraid to show his wealth as he showered other cities in riches out of generosity. In Cairo, Egypt, “there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him.” This is just one of the many examples of wealth in african cities and empires. What is impressive is the fact that before European trade became an influence, African people had already created a successful and very profitable system of
Takashi Murakami is an incredible, talented Japanese artist whose modern artwork has attracted even the biggest names in the industry for collaborations, such as Kanye West and Louis Vuitton. Although Murakami does not think of his artwork as Pop Art, his work does have a Pop Art feel to it. To people without the knowledge of history behind his work, they will think that his work is happy and colorful, but behind the bright colors and the happy caricatures, Murakami tells a story that was inspired by the struggles of discriminated people.
There was also a Kingdom called Mali that broke off from the Ghana Empire. At this time they had embraced the religion of Islam and had been under the great rule of Mansa Musa. This empire had the job of protecting the caravans or shipments carrying the goods, so that they can trade. They helped towards the function of trade so that both the importer and exporter gained something. In document 3 it explains how their wealth was great because of their trade. The document also talks about the fact that they had exhibited the characteristics of an advanced divination like sufficient food to feed its people, a strong army equipped with advanced weapons and income derived from taxes. Even though the Mali Empire had wealth there was very little corruption if there was with the ruler. He did not go mad with power but he was generous. In document four it states they there was no person who did not receive a sum of gold from him.
A man who served during the Old Kingdom, under kings Mernere and Pepi II. Officials carved fifty-eight lines on his tomb to commemorate this man’s life. He was not only the governor of Upper Egypt, but also led four expeditions to Nubia, in which he successfully traded and opened up relations between the two nations. “He majesty of Mernere, my lord, sent me… to Yam, to open the way to that country. I did it in seven months; I brought from it all kinds of beautiful and rare gifts, and was praised for it very greatly.” As we can see, this quote not only shows us that the Egyptians valued trading with their neighbors, but also that those who were able to be trade and have good relations with other nations was something valued and significant to their culture. Similarly, we will see that the ability to trade was not only a quality of importance to Ancient Egypt, but also to the Han Dynasty of
The economic situation of Egypt before its colonization was quite good. The working and owning class maintained the industrial aspect while the upper class maintained the government and political prospect. Through the colonization of Egypt, Britain gained control of the Suez Canal, a major part of the world trade routes. With this advantage, Britain decided to heavily tax the ships which passed through. This brought mass amounts of money of which the Egyptians never saw. Instead of going to maintain Egypt or even the Suez Canal itself, the money went straight to the British government as profit. Finally, the news that Britain had colonized Egypt and was using it as a "profitable business" reached the public. Immediately, the Egyptians began to leave the country. The British had to act quickly, for they knew that without the Egyptians to maintain the land and canal, the profit would be lost.
...rading was a very special need in ancient Egypt. The Nile was the source of transportation for the people and trading from different countries. “Permission to trade on a significant scale in Egypt and certainly abroad came from the administration” (“Egyptian Social Structure”, 2013).
An Economic History of West Africa. New York: Columbia UP, 1973. Print.