The Story of the Richest Man in the World
Over the centuries, many a man has gotten rich and powerful but none quite as…well, legends as Mansa Musa, the Emperor of Mali. Written during the 14th century, Musa was as rich as one could only imagine today: his and his people’s wealth cannot be named in today’s terms.
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Mansa Musa ruled an empire in the region of the modern countries of Mali and Niger, as well as those nearby. His richness was in the hundreds of thousands of carats of gold that the area maintained; profusely making it the most affluent in gold in the medieval age. Hence, besides gold, the empire was engaged in salt and other materials’ trade, which were considered valuable.
But what really raised Musa above the rest was not only the fact that his wealth wasAlmost by definition, Musa’s wealth put him in a special class, but it was his penchant for ostentation that elevated him. Of all the legends about him one of the most well known is the description of his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. With 3000 soldiers, officials and slaves, and 100 camels of gold, Musa scattered gold wherever he passed. His generosity was so lavish, that actually led to increase in the inflation of the economic in the regions that he visited before the arrival of gold which affected the value of the currency.
His wealth and power were not limited to his pilgrimage either. He spent his money in education system, structures and onward custom of the culture to make city of Timbuktu one of the global famous city of education and Islamic scholars. During his reign, Mali grew to be glowing symbol of prosperity and power in Africa as well as beyond.
Of course, nobody really knows how much Mansa Musa was worth – but he will long remain one of the richest men in history, a caution that in the past one man could bestride the continent making such displays of wealth.
