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Mansa Musa

Type Figure Region Mali Empire Time c. 1280–1337 Also known as Musa I

Mansa (emperor) of the 14th-century Mali Empire, acceding c. 1312, famed for his unprecedented 1324–1325 Hajj to Mecca, during which he distributed g…

Timeline

  1. 1312–1320Niani · MaliAfter acceding, he integrated the former spheres of Ghana, Songhai, and others, controlled the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade, and established Islamic court etiquette, laying the groundwork for the 1320s display of imperial wealth abroad.
  2. 1321–1330Timbuktu · MaliIn 1324–1325 he led a large caravan on the Hajj to Mecca, distributing gold in Cairo and elsewhere with effects that shook the Mediterranean economy; on his return he patronized the Great Mosque of Timbuktu and its scholars, making the city a hub of Islamic learning in the Sahel.

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