Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa (c. 1280–c. 1337) was the ninth Mansa of Mali, under whom the empire reached its greatest extent. By his own account, he inherited power after his predecessor sailed into the Atlantic on a second expedition and never returned, leaving Musa to rule as deputy. Mali's wealth rested on the salt trade and on the gold of Bambuk and Bure.

In 1324 Musa went on pilgrimage to Mecca with an enormous retinue. In Cairo his lavish gifts pushed down the price of gold for years, and on the way home he had to borrow from Egyptian merchants at high interest. His fame reached Europe, where the 1375 Catalan Atlas showed a rich West African ruler.

Musa annexed Gao and Timbuktu, built ties with the Mamluk and Marinid sultanates, and made Timbuktu a centre of Islamic learning. He died around 1337, and his son Maghan succeeded him.