jjares reviewed Mansa Musa: A Captivating Guide to the Emperor of the Islamic Mali Empire in West Africa and How He Developed Timbuktu into a Major Center for Trade on + 3270 more book reviews
In the Middle Ages, there was an emperor who was more wealthy than the greatest billionaire today. Mansa Musa was a little-known emperor of Mali; in the Middle Ages, his empire covered modern-day Ghana, Timbuktu, and Mali in West Africa. Musa's empire sat upon the largest gold reserve at the time. He used it wisely because he turned two towns (Gao and Timbuktu) into handsome cities and extensive seats of learning and education.
Much of what is known about Mali is from his nine thousand-mile trip to perform hajj because he was a devout Muslim. He traveled from west Africa, across to Egypt, and down Saudi Arabia to Mecca. He carried and distributed so much gold, that he destroyed the gold market in Egypt for 10 years. Mansa Musa's trip was fascinating. He was a good steward of the wealth of his country. It is unfortunate that he is not known more widely. This is a great story of a wonderful man and his legacy.
Much of what is known about Mali is from his nine thousand-mile trip to perform hajj because he was a devout Muslim. He traveled from west Africa, across to Egypt, and down Saudi Arabia to Mecca. He carried and distributed so much gold, that he destroyed the gold market in Egypt for 10 years. Mansa Musa's trip was fascinating. He was a good steward of the wealth of his country. It is unfortunate that he is not known more widely. This is a great story of a wonderful man and his legacy.
