Mansa Musa

Who wouldn't want to be rich? Everyone wants to earn big bucks and be listed on the world's richest people list. Most philosophers will tell you that money doesn't make you rich in a holistic sense, and a crown of gold won't fill the hole in your heart, but people across the world will always remember you if you're rich.

The title of the richest person on Earth seems to ping-pong between tech titans every few years. But for all their wealth, Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk won’t come close to being the richest human of all time. They’re still far from African King Mansa Musa, who is thought to be the richest person of all time "richer than anyone could describe."

So who was Mansa Musa, and how did he acquire such unimaginable wealth? Here’s all you need to know about the richest person ever:

One of the greatest caravans to ever cross the Sahara was led by Mansa Musa, the legendary ruler of the vast West African empire of Mali. In 1324 Musa embarked on a hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, travelling with an entourage that included 8,000 courtiers, 12,000 servants and 100 camel loads of pure gold.

Musa was born in 1280, and Mansa means ‘Sultan’ in the native language of Mandinka spoken in the region. He came to the throne in 1312 and in his 25-year reign, the Kingdom of Mali expanded massively to include the current day nations of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. 

How was Mansa Musa so rich?

Imagine how much money the richest person in history would have. Now add a couple hundred billion, and you’ve probably gotten closer to how much wealth Mansa Musa had during the 14th century.

As the king of the Mali Empire in West Africa, Musa first came to power in 1312. At that point, the kingdom was already prosperous. But under the rule of Mansa Musa, Mali became even more wealthy. Taking advantage of the region’s natural resources - like gold and salt. Mansa Musa expanded his empire throughout several territories and made a big impression along the way.

Mansa Musa's net worth

Some historians believe that with an inflation-adjusted fortune, his wealth amounts to around $400 billion today. But, he was not just a rich man and sultan.

He was a famous Hajj pilgrimage

Several famous historians have documented Mansa Musa. Ibn Battuta also wrote about him when he visited Mali in 1352. All these historians give prominence to Mansa Musa and his famous Hajj pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five main pillars of Islam, and Mansa Musa decided to embark on Hajj in 1324-1325. But, It was not like any other journey ever witnessed. Musa quite literally paved his path to Mecca with gold and put his kingdom on the map.

Musa was famous for his generosity and piety. He built a mosque every Friday during his journey and gave away so much gold that it destabilised the economy in parts of the region for twelve years - as well as deflating the value of gold.

‘The Richest Man in History?'

The Mali Empire was one of the largest empires in West Africa. The spread of its language, laws and customs have played an important role in determining the culture of West Africa today.

One of the Mali Empire’s most famous rulers, Mansa Musa, was celebrated for his piety and fair judgement. But he was also famed for being the richest man to have ever lived.

His wealth vastly surpassed any living person today, and in the middle ages.

Egypt's economy ruined 

The man who was known as the 'King of Kings' brought the whole Egypt country into poverty, because of his generosity, Musa donated so much gold to the poor here while passing through Cairo, the capital of Egypt, that's why the price of gold went down across the country and the economy collapsed.

The lasting contributions of Mansa Musa’s wealth

So what did Mansa Musa do with all the money, aside from giving away gold to random people on the street and using it to buy souvenirs?

Ultimately, Mansa Musa used most of it to build a great number of mosques (legend said that Musa built one mosque every Friday during his reign), the most famous of which is the Djinguereber Mosque. Musa also commissioned several universities throughout the kingdom. Many of these historic buildings both the schools and the mosques are still standing today.

When Mansa Musa was alive, his investment in Islamic education in Mali drew scores of Muslim scholars, poets, and artisans to his empire. They congregated in Timbuktu, which quickly became known as one of the most prominent cities in the Islamic world.

The King of Kings

This depiction of a wealthy king created something of a fantasy for people across the globe, especially in European countries.

This depiction of the richest king of history created something of a fantasy for people across the globe. At the time, when many European countries were struggling through the plague, civil wars, and economic slowdown.

Eventually, Musa ruled the Mali Empire for about 20 years. During that time, he extended the reach of his trade ports significantly and became one of the most powerful rulers of his day. Its believed that tales of his enormous convoy and generosity continued to be passed on long after his death, which is believed to have taken place sometime between 1332 and 1337.

His pilgrimage, generosity and reputation awakened the world to the immense wealth of Africa, and in particular, Mali.