Mansa Musa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mansa Musa[1] was a 14th century king (or Mansa) who ruled the Mali Empire between 1312 and 1337. He is remembered for his fabled hajj and as a benefactor of Islamic scholarship.
[edit] Biography
Mansa Musa was the grand-nephew of the founder of the Mali's Empire, Sundiata Keita, and ruled over Mali while it was the source of almost half the world's gold. Musa was a devoted Muslim, and Islamic scholarship flourished under his rule. With Musa as a benefactor, Sankore University in Timbuktu reached its height. Craftsmen and especially Islamic scholars came from all over the Muslim world to receive a free education at Sankore's guilds and madrasas.
When he passed through Cairo in July of 1324, he was reportedly accompanied by hundreds of slaves and camels, each animal carrying so much gold that it took more than a decade for the economy to recover, due to the rapid inflation that it initiated. According to Cairo-born historian al-Maqurizi, "the members of his entourage proceeded to buy Turkish and Ethiopian slave girls, singing girls and garments, so that the rate of the gold dinar fell by six dirhams." The Arab historian al-Umari records that Musa was so generous that he ran out of money and had to take out a loan to be able to afford the journey home. Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds.
He was succeeded in 1337 by his son Maghan and in 1341 by his brother Suleyman.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Other names include:
- Mansa Kankan Musa I
- Mali-koy Kankan Musa
- Lord Musa, King of Mali
- The Lion of Mali
[edit] External links
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
- Al-Umari's description of Mansa Musa's 1324 visit to Cairo
- Sondiata and Mansa Musa on the Web web directory
- Mr. Dowling's Mansa Musa page
- African Events Mansa Musa page
| Preceded by: Abubakari II |
Mansa of the Mali Empire 1312–1337 |
Succeeded by: Maghan |
