Musa, Mansa 73500 servants decked in gold, each carrying a golden staff.
Mansa Musa was received in Cairo with the honors due to
the great sultan he was, and created a great impression by
his bearing and his generosity. Th e important thing is that
he established sound economic and cultural relations with
the countries he traveled through.
Some of this wealth and power directly relates to the
unique position of his empire along the Niger River basin
and the crossroads of many major trans-Saharan trade
routes. Two of these traded commodities were salt and
gold. Th ese were so important that in the 14th century
they were used as currency. Salt trade originated from the
north of Mali in the mines of Taghaza. Th e gold mines of
Bambuk, on the other hand, lay within Mali territory. Th is
gold was the source of half of the world’s supply and greatly
contributed to Mansa Musa’s wealth. During his life, Mansa
Musa also gained control of Timbuktu, which stood at the
crossroads of the Niger, an important means of transport,
and the Saharan desert trade routes. Th is was the city where
the Saharan salt merchants and the gold-laden caravans
converged. Th is provided Mansa Musa control of these
two major commodities, and with this control, his wealth
increased.
Mansa Musa returned home from his pilgrimage with
a famous architect, Isāķ al-Tuedjin, who built the great
mosque at Gao. In Timbuktu the architect built another
great mosque and a royal palace. Mansa Musa attracted
many men of letters to his court and was himself skilled in
Arabic. Aft er his pilgrimage, the Marinids of Fez and the
merchant cities of the Maghrib began to take a lively inter-
est in Mali, and the rulers exchanged gift s and ambassadors.
Musa set up Koranic schools and had bought many books
in Cairo and the holy places.
As a builder, Mansa Musa left an enduring mark on all
the cities of the Sudan, with their characteristic buildings
of beaten earth strengthened with wood. Th e mosques of
Jenne and Timbuktu were the prototypes of what is called
the Sudanic style. As a patron and friend of literature, Musa
helped lay the foundations of the Arabic literature of blacks,
which was to bear its fi nest fruit in the cities of Djenne
and Timbuktu in the 14th and 15th centuries. Under his
rule Timbuktu rose not only to become an important city
in the trans-Saharan trade route but also the center of Is-
lamic scholarship. Muslims came from distant countries to
receive an education at Sankore University that he built in
Timbuktu. Th us, these centers attracted Muslims from allColonies; New York Conspiracy of 1741; New York Revolt
of 1712; Northern Slavery; Patroonship; Pinkster Festival
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Musa, Mansa
Mansa Musa (?–1337) is the best known of the emperors
of Mali, largely because of his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325
and the widespread fame of his visit to Cairo. Th e pilgrim-
age had important consequences for the subsequent history
of the western Sudan, a region that haunted men’s minds
thereaft er. Egypt, the Maghrib, Portugal, and the merchant
cities of Italy took an increasing interest in Mali.
Once on the throne, Mansa Musa set about consolidat-
ing the achievements of his predecessors and making the
central authority be obeyed. He was assisted by an eminent
general, Saran Mandian, who strengthened the emperor’s
authority not only in the valley of the Niger as far as Gao
and beyond, but also throughout the Sahel, winning the
submission of the Saharan nomads, who were oft en rob-
bers and rebels.
Mansa Musa made elaborate preparations for his pil-
grimage. In accordance with tradition, he levied special
contributions from every trading town and every province.
Although the fi gures given by the Arab writers are prob-
ably exaggerated, they give some idea of the power of the
Mali emperor. Th ere were said to be 60,000 porters and