The Black Panther you didnt know about

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Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa or Kanku Musa 1 of Mali was the ruler of the Mali empire from 1312 C.E . to 1337C.E.He bought his kingdom to its zenith and made it one of the richest nations of Africa and the whole world. If you are wondering what's so special about this ruler, well according to historians he was the richest individual to ever set foot on this planet, and according to estimates, his net worth was about 400 billion dollars which is 4 times the current worth of Jeff Bezos.

Mansa Musa came to power in 1312 C.E. after his predecessor and brother set on a voyage to explore the extent of the Atlantic ocean with dozens of ships and never returned. Mansa Musa vast empire consisted of a majority of modern-day African nations among which Timbuktu and Gao turned out to be the centre of all affairs.

Although he inherited a wealthy empire from his predecessors, Musa expanded that wealth by taking advantage of the abundant natural resources of Africa. He made his fortune through salt and gold and it is said that half of the world's gold deposits at that time were owned by him so much so that his empire became the largest producer of gold. During a time when Europe was in turmoil and had suffered severe destruction due to the war, the Mali empire was in a relatively better condition not to mention at its peak with Mansu Musa at its helm who turned the kingdom of Mali into a center of learning, trade, and architecture in the Islamic world.

Military Conquests Of Mansa Musa:

Though very less is known about the expeditions of Musa but historians suggest that he was an able general. He strategically conquered 24 major cities of Africa which granted him access to all major trading hubs which included ports that made him accessible to the Mediterranean region. These cities and connections made him the mogul that he really was. Later his empire expanded to such an extent that he had to appoint governors to look after them so much so that it became the largest empire after the Mongolian empire. Mali had incorporated major parts of the Ghanan empire and the Mali empire consisted of land that is now part of guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, and modern-day mail. During his reign, he proclaimed many titles such as "The Emir of Mellle" and "Lord of the Mines of Wangara".

How Rich Was He??

As mentioned earlier Musa had amassed humongous wealth from his salt and gold trade but the knowledge about his wealth and riches was just confined within the African subcontinent. According to historians, there is no clear estimate of how wealthy Musa was it's just an approximate amount that was presented to us. So before Musa set out on his historic pilgrimage to perform Hajj in Mecca no one was aware of his fortune but that iconic pilgrimage is worth describing.

The voyage which was about 4000 miles long was traveled by Musa and a caravan that included tens of thousands of slaves, soldiers, and heralds draped in extravagant Persian silk and wearing gold jewelry. Arab writers are of the suggestion that the hundreds of camels each were carrying 136 kilograms of gold. Apart from the servants and soldiers, the monarch had his own set of musicians too. Musa had to pass through Egypt and on his way, he was generous enough to help the poor and needy with guess what? Gold. Though he intended to purely help the needy the gold increased the inflation of Egypt and it took the country's economy more than 12 years to recover. He also kept on building mosques on his way to Mecca and all we can do is only guess how many mosques he would have erected.

A Wholesome Monarch

Apart from being a rich and benevolent monarch Mansu Musa was always a keen enthusiast in education and architecture. After his return from Mecca, Musa began to renovate his two main strongholds, Timbuktu and Gao. Timbuktu becomes a centre of learning after the construction of the famous Islamic University of Sankore which attracted many scholars and, He had brought architects from Andalusia and Cairo to build his magnificent palace and the great djinguereber mosque that still stands today. Timbuktu soon becomes a hub of trade and commerce, culture and Islam, market bought merchants from many a place. The Sankore University also attracted many jurists, astronomers and mathematicians and so it became a hub for learning drawing renowned scholars from all around the world to Timbuktu.

His Great Legacy Still Lives

We all know the riches of the Black Panther and how rich Wakanda is when it comes to natural resources. The richest man in history Mansu Musa, ever to set foot on this earth needs more attention than he actually gets.

He was an able administrator, a warrior, and patron of education, and a supporter of trade and commerce which enabled him to put the Kingdom of Mali at its peak and around the same time a bustling, wealthy empire when other nations were not performing as better comparatively.

Mansu Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. Such a vast empire was not easy to handle for his successors and after two generations his wealth was also exhausted. However, his riches are only one part of his huge legacy and he will always be remembered as the Monarch who took the Kingdom of Mali to its greatest extent.