Presents an overview of Mansa Musa's life, discussing how Musa helped his empire grow in size and culture by encouraging the arts, literature, and architecture.

From Mali to Cairo to Mecca and beyond, Mansa Musa was known as the Lion of Mali. Now remembered as the richest person in history, his enormous wealth, legendary generosity, and lavish pilgrimage from Mali to Mecca made him a favorite of medieval Arab storytellers. However, the 14th-century leader also presided over one of the largest empires in the world during his time. This informative biography traces Mansa Musa’s life, following his magnificent caravan as he traversed what remained of the Silk Road routes to become a hajji and returned to transform Timbuktu into western Africa’s most famous cultural center.

Who was Mansa Musa? And why was he important? In the grand scheme of things, very little is known of Mansa Musa's life. We know that he was one of the greatest emperors of the Mali Empire. And we know that he was actually one of the richest men of all time due to the enormous gold deposits in West Africa that were under his dominion, but large parts of Mansa Musa's life remain a mystery. We know, for example, that he later expanded the reach of the Mali Empire considerably, eventually incorporating the legendary Timbuktu into his realm. Such things certainly make for fascinating tales, but the truth is much of Mansa Musa's early life is virtually unknown. This is largely due to the fact that Mansa Musa did not have a biography of his exploits written about him during the time in which he lived. Rather than a written record, the narrative of his exploits that are remembered come down to us through the lore of the griot-Mali's oral storytellers. The tales that these bards spin are indeed riveting, but they tend to focus on certain key events in Mansa Musa's later life. The epic journey of Mansa's hajj to Mecca is covered, and so are some other key parts of his personal history. But many other aspects still draw a blank. Here in this text, however, we have really run the gamut when it comes to uncovering the life of Mansa Musa. Utilizing both the testimony of Arab chroniclers familiar with Mali and Mansa Musa, the oral stories of the griot, and archaeological evidence, we have put together a book that captures the essence of who Mansa Musa was and what he tried to accomplish. His story is like some great mosaic that has fractured over the centuries, but we have pieced it all together to present to you the best portrait possible of Mansa Musa and the life he lived. In this book, you will learn about: The backstory of the Mali Empire and its founders The rise of Mansa Musa as the emperor The transition of Mali from a pagan to a Muslim Kingdom Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca The incorporation of Timbuktu into the Mali Empire Mansa Musa's successors Mansa Musa's legacy And much more! Scroll up and click the "add to cart" button to learn more about the history of Mansa Musa!

Publisher Description

Issued in conjunction with the exhibition Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time, held January 26, 2019-July 21, 2019, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

Africa in the 13th century lay in ruins owing to countless civil wars and the ensuing famine. Amid the hopelessness arose a man who began to rebuild the ravaged diaspora. He instituted a government that was so efficient at managing the country of Mali that pretty soon it was the most progressive nation on the continent. Not long after, one-by-one, the neighboring countries began to join the fold until all of west Africa constituted a single empire. The emperor Mansa Musa had more wealth than every billionaire combined, today. This is his story. The genius of Musa's administration lay in decentralization. He ordered the formation of distributed administration pockets which repatriated taxes back to the central empire which lay oversight on their activities. At its height, Mansa Musa owned more than half of the world's gold reserves. On his pilgrimage to Mecca, he brought with him a caravan comprising tens of thousands of people bearing unimaginable quantities of gold. On reaching Cairo and staying there for 3 months, he and his people flooded the city with so much gold that it crashed the economy due to inflation. Come and personally get to know the splendour that was Mansa Musa. Here's a preview of what you'll discover in this book: Mansa Musa before coming to power Events leading up to him gaining control of Mali Musa succeeding Sundiata Keita as emperor His reign and development of the Empire His travels to Mecca and elaborate activities along the way His stay in Cairo and influence there His trip to Mecca and his experience there Bringing back ideas to his Empire and planning progress Mali as the epicenter of a great civilization The gradual deterioration of Mali Musa's demise and the legacy he left behind ..... And much more! Mansa Musa is considered a legendary and almost mythical figure in west Africa and no one can even imagine the amount of wealth he possessed. During his rule, the Malian empire became the greatest cultural, religious and academic center of the world. He was a visionary leader and way ahead of his time. This book will present an unrivaled perspective to who Mansa Musa was and what made him singularly unique in the history of mankind as a progressive king and social innovator the likes of which the world has never seen. So, scroll up and click the "Buy now with 1-click" button and find out more!

For more than a thousand years, from A.D. 500 to 1700, the medieval kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay grew rich on the gold, salt, and slave trade that stretched across Africa. Scraping away hundreds of years of ignorance, prejudice, and mythology, award-winnnig authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack reveal the glory of these forgotten empires while inviting us to share in the inspiring process of historical recovery that is taking place today.

Ruler, scholar, statesman, and devout man of faith; Mansa Musa was a 14th century African emperor who reigned over the Mali Empire from 1312 to 1337. Learn of his accomplishments as king and how he came to be recognized as the richest man in history.

Explores empires of medieval west Africa.