Mansa Musa was the former king of Timbuktu. “Mansa” meant Emperor. At that time, he was the tenth Mansa of the West African Mali Empire. He lived between 1280 and 1337. Timbuktu was the largest producer of gold at a time when to have gold was a big deal. His wealth is impossible to ascertain. As a devout Muslim, he made his famous pilgrimage to mecca from 1324–1325. During his journey, dozens of Camels carried hundreds of pounds of Gold. The price of gold subsequently dropped and caused currency crises in Egypt.
“This is the richest guy anyone has ever seen, that’s the point. There are pictures of him holding a scepter of gold on a throne of gold holding a cup of gold with a golden crown on his head. 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.” - Rudolph Ware (Associate professor)
