The Story Of The African King Who Was The Richest Man That Ever Lived

Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire from 1312 C.E. to 1337 C.E. Although the empire was already wealthy, he made Mali the wealthiest empire in Africa, and Mansa Musa was among the richest individuals in the world. The riches came from mining salt and gold deposits within the empire. Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.

The ancient kingdom of Mali spread across parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Niger, Gambia, Chad, Nigeria, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. Mansa Musa turned the kingdom of Mali into a sophisticated center of learning in the Islamic world.

According to the British Museum, the Empire of Mali accounted for almost half of the old world's gold and all of it belonged to the king. The empire was not well known outside Africa until Mansa Musa went on pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 C.E. and passed through the Sahara Desert and Egypt. His journey through Egypt caused quite a stir.

He reportedly traveled with 60,000 men, dozens of camels (each carrying 300 pounds of gold) and many animals to be used as food. In Cairo, Mansa Musa handed out so much gold that his stay caused the price of gold to plummet in the region for 12 years, wrecking the economy.

Upon return, Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars into the empire. He built mosques and public buildings in cities like Gao and Timbuktu. The reputation of the empire grew under his administration and Timbuktu became a major center of education during the 14th century.

He died in 1337 C.E. and was succeeded by his son. By today's standards, Mansa Musa was worth $400 to $415 Billion, more than three times what Jeff Bezos is worth. His skillful administration left his empire well-off at the time of his death, but eventually, the empire fell apart.