Stories We Tell Ourselves

Mansa Musa I, And The Wealth of Self Worth

Andre McGee Season 1 Episode 13

In today's episode, we will discuss the life of Mansa Musa I, the 14th-century emperor of the Mali Empire and the richest man in history. His wealth came from Mali’s abundant gold mines, which made him a symbol of power and prosperity across the medieval world. In 1324, Mansa Musa embarked on a legendary pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj, with an entourage of tens of thousands. During his stop in Cairo, Egypt, Musa’s generosity was on full display as he distributed vast amounts of gold, so much that it destabilized the local economy and caused a temporary devaluation of gold. After completing his pilgrimage, Musa returned to Mali, bringing back scholars, architects, and artists who contributed to the flourishing of Timbuktu as a center of Islamic learning. Mansa Musa’s reign ended sometime in the mid-1330s, and while the exact details of his death remain unclear, his legacy as one of history’s greatest rulers endures.

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