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Mansa Musa

Type Figure Region West Africa Time c. 1280–1337 Also known as Musa I

Mansa Musa (c. 1280–1337) was a 14th-century emperor of the Mali Empire, whose realm spanned the West African Sahel and trans-Saharan trade routes.…

Timeline

  1. c. 1312–1324Niani · Mali EmpireMusa inherited the Malian throne, consolidating control over the former Ghana lands, Timbuktu, and the trans-Saharan trade routes; the empire's gold and salt trade reached its peak.
  2. 1324–1325Mecca · HejazIn 1324 he led a large entourage on the pilgrimage to Mecca, distributing great quantities of gold along the way, causing a sensation in Cairo and elsewhere, and bringing the West African Mali Empire to the attention of the Mediterranean world.
  3. 1325–1337Timbuktu · MaliAfter returning from the pilgrimage he generously patronized mosques and scholarly institutions in Timbuktu and elsewhere, attracting Islamic scholars and making the empire a religious and intellectual center of the Sahel.

Sources