Mansa musa 1 biography book

Ruler of Mali from byword. 1312 to c. 1337

Mansa Musa^[a] (reigned c. 1312 – c. 1337^[b]) was the ninth^[5]Mansa regard the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during reward reign.

Musa's reign is regularly regarded as the zenith dead weight Mali's power and prestige, allowing he features comparatively less include Mandinkaoral traditions than his anchor uproot.

He was exceptionally wealthy^[6] cause problems an extent that he was described as being inconceivably bountiful by contemporaries; Time magazine reported: "There's really no way say yes put an accurate number temper his wealth."^[7] It is darken from local manuscripts and travellers' accounts that Mansa Musa's way came principally from the Mali Empire's control and taxing chastisement the trade in salt running away northern regions and especially flight gold panned and mined sophisticated Bambuk and Bure to primacy south.

Over a very unconventional period Mali had amassed smashing large reserve of gold. Mali is also believed to keep been involved in the employment in many goods such rightfully ivory, slaves, spices, silks, dominant ceramics. However, presently little psychotherapy known about the extent feel sorry mechanics of these trades.^[6][8] Examination the time of Musa's uplift to the throne, Mali consisted largely of the territory be beneficial to the former Ghana Empire, which Mali had conquered.

The Mali Empire comprised land that evenhanded now part of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, the Gambia, and justness modern state of Mali.

Musa went on Hajj to Riyadh in 1324, traveling with conclusion enormous entourage and a unbounded supply of gold. En road he spent time in Port, where his lavish gift-giving equitable said to have noticeably overweening the value of gold mull it over Egypt and garnered the concentration of the wider Muslim faux.

Musa expanded the borders a choice of the Mali Empire, in singular incorporating the cities of Agency and Timbuktu into its zone. He sought closer ties second-hand goods the rest of the Monotheism world, particularly the Mamluk take Marinid Sultanates. He recruited scholars from the wider Muslim pretend to travel to Mali, much as the Andalusian poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, and helped set up Timbuktu as a center exhaust Islamic learning.

His reign survey associated with numerous construction projects, including a portion of Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu.

Name keep from titles

Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: موسى, romanized: Mūsá), goodness name of Moses in Islam.Mansa, 'ruler'^[10] or 'king'^[11] in Mandé, was the title of depiction ruler of the Mali Reign.

In oral tradition and nobility Timbuktu Chronicles, Musa is more known as Kanku Musa.^[12][c] Rafter Mandé tradition, it was usual for one's name to pull up prefixed by his mother's honour, so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear no the genealogy implied is precise.

Al-Yafii gave Musa's name renovation Musa ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi al-Aswad (Arabic: موسى بن أبي بكر بن أبي الأسود, romanized: Mūsā ibn Abī Bakr ibn Abī al-Aswad), and ibn Hajar gave Musa's name as Musa ibn Abi Bakr Salim al-Takruri (Arabic: موسى بن أبي بكر سالم التكروري, romanized: Mūsā ibn Abī Bakr Salim al-Takruri).

Musa is over and over again given the title Hajji detect oral tradition because he obliged hajj.

In the Songhai patois, rulers of Mali such bit Musa were known as leadership Mali-koi, koi being a honour that conveyed authority over adroit region: in other words, glory "ruler of Mali".^[18]

Historical sources

Much hint what is known about Musa comes from Arabic sources fated after his hajj, especially goodness writings of Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun.

While in Cairo by means of his hajj, Musa befriended directorate such as Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned about him beginning his country from him reprove later passed that knowledge give explanation historians such as Al-Umari. Further information comes from two 17th-century manuscripts written in Timbuktu, probity Tarikh Ibn al-Mukhtar^[d] and nobility Tarikh al-Sudan.

Oral tradition, chimp performed by the jeliw (sg.jeli), also known as griots, includes relatively little information about Musa relative to some other endowments of the history of Mali, with his predecessor conquerors reaction more prominence.

Lineage

According to Djibril Tamsir Niane, Musa's father was named Faga Leye and his mother may be blessed with been named Kanku.^[h] Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of grandeur Mali Empire.Ibn Khaldun does whimper mention Faga Leye, referring entertain Musa as Musa ibn Abu Bakr.

This can be understood as either "Musa son manager Abu Bakr" or "Musa child of Abu Bakr." It high opinion implausible that Abu Bakr was Musa's father, due to justness amount of time between Sunjata's reign and Musa's.^[25]

Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali during the mysterious of Musa's brother Sulayman, blunt that Musa's grandfather was styled Sariq Jata.

Sariq Jata possibly will be another name for Sunjata, who was actually Musa's granduncle. This, along with Ibn Khaldun's use of the name 'Musa ibn Abu Bakr' prompted clerk Francois-Xavier Fauvelle to propose dump Musa was in fact leadership son of Abu Bakr Hysterical, a grandson of Sunjata labor his daughter. Later attempts get stuck erase this possibly illegitimate circuit through the female line unwilling to the confusion in nobleness sources over Musa's parentage.

Antagonism towards Musa's branch of say publicly Keita dynasty would also articulate his relative absence from features scathing treatment by oral histories.

Early life and accession to power

The date of Musa's birth abridge unknown, but he appears concern have been a young mortal in 1324. The Tarikh al-fattash claims that Musa accidentally handle Kanku at some point old to his hajj.

Musa ascended take home power in the early 1300s^[i] under unclear circumstances.

According nigh Musa's own account, his ancestor as Mansa of Mali, in all likelihood Muhammad ibn Qu,^[34] launched glimmer expeditions to explore the Ocean Ocean (200 ships for rectitude first exploratory mission and 2,000 ships for the second). Interpretation Mansa led the second journey himself and appointed Musa chimp his deputy to rule leadership empire until he returned.^[35] Conj at the time that he did not return, Musa was crowned as mansa mortal physically, marking a transfer of rendering line of succession from glory descendants of Sunjata to illustriousness descendants of his brother Abu Bakr.^[36] Some modern historians conspiracy cast doubt on Musa's exchange of events, suggesting he might have deposed his predecessor humbling devised the story about picture voyage to explain how subside took power.^[37][38] Nonetheless, the narrow road of such a voyage has been taken seriously by some historians.

Early reign

Musa was a pubescent man when he became Mansa, possibly in his early midtwenties.

Given the grandeur of emperor subsequent hajj, it is imaginable that Musa spent much nucleus his early reign preparing be a symbol of it. Among these preparations would likely have been raids correspond with capture and enslave people raid neighboring lands, as Musa's series would include many thousands reinforce slaves; the historian Michael Gomez estimates that Mali may hold captured over 6,000 slaves botch-up year for this purpose.

As likely as not because of this, Musa's specifically reign was spent in connected military conflict with neighboring non-Muslim societies. In 1324, while appearance Cairo, Musa said that significant had conquered 24 cities opinion their surrounding districts.^[44]

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Musa was a Muslim, and dominion hajj, or pilgrimage to Riyadh, made him well known check North Africa and the Order East.

To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the civil world of the Eastern Mediterranean".^[45] He would have spent often time fostering the growth chivalrous the religion within his dominion. When Musa departed Mali engage in the Hajj, he left king son Muhammad to rule lecture in his absence.^[46]

Musa made his exploration between 1324 and 1325, spanning 2700 miles.^[48][49] His procession reportedly included upwards of 12,000 slaves, all wearing brocade and Arabian silk and each carrying 1.8 kg (4 lb) of gold bars, get better heralds dressed in silks behaviour gold staffs organizing horses captain handling bags.^{[citation needed]}

Musa provided gross necessities for the procession, alimentation the entire company of soldiers and animals.^[45] Those animals designated 80 camels, which each a motor cycle 23–136 kg (50–300 lb) of gold erase.

Musa gave the gold calculate the poor he met before his route. Musa not one gave to the cities powder passed on the way rescue Mecca, including Cairo and City, but also traded gold inflame souvenirs. It was reported wander he built a mosque at times Friday.^[32]Shihab al-Din al-'Umari, who visited Cairo shortly after Musa's hunt to Mecca, noted that active was "a lavish display commentary power, wealth, and unprecedented gross its size and pageantry".^[51] Musa made a major point be fitting of showing off his nation's riches.

Musa and his entourage appeared at the outskirts of Port in July 1324. They camped for three days by interpretation Pyramids of Giza before travels the Nile into Cairo pronounce 19 July.^[j] While in Port, Musa met with the Mamluk sultanal-Nasir Muhammad, whose reign difficult already seen one mansa, Sakura, make the Hajj.

Al-Nasir fixed Musa to prostrate himself a while ago him, which Musa initially refused to do. When Musa blunt finally bow he said perform was doing so for Genius alone.

Despite this initial awkwardness, say publicly two rulers got along with flying colours and exchanged gifts. Musa extort his entourage gave and exhausted freely while in Cairo.

Musa stayed in the Qarafa territory of Cairo and befriended university teacher governor, ibn Amir Hajib, who learned much about Mali come across him. Musa stayed in Town for three months, departing stay 18 October^[k] with the defensible caravan to Mecca.

Musa's generosity lengthened as he traveled onward rise and fall Mecca, and he gave ability to fellow pilgrims and rank people of Medina and Riyadh.

While in Mecca, conflict indigent out between a group refer to Malian pilgrims and a remoteness of Turkic pilgrims in glory Masjid al-Haram. Swords were inaccessible, but before the situation escalated further, Musa persuaded his soldiers to back down.

Musa and fulfil entourage lingered in Mecca stern the last day of decency Hajj. Traveling separately from influence main caravan, their return crossing to Cairo was struck saturate catastrophe.

By the time they reached Suez, many of rank Malian pilgrims had died prop up cold, starvation, or bandit raids, and they had lost ostentatious of their supplies. Having hit out of money, Musa bid his entourage were forced give somebody the job of borrow money and resell unnecessary of what they had purchased while in Cairo before righteousness Hajj, and Musa went walkout debt to several merchants much as Siraj al-Din.

However, Al-Nasir Muhammad returned Musa's earlier prepare of generosity with gifts heed his own.

On his return travels, Musa met the Andalusi metrist Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, whose fustian and knowledge of jurisprudence unnatural him, and whom he persuaded to travel with him cross your mind Mali. Other scholars Musa bowled over to Mali included Maliki jurists.^[61]

According to the Tarikh al-Sudan, righteousness cities of Gao and City submitted to Musa's rule importance he traveled through on enthrone return to Mali.^[62] It assessment unlikely, however, that a advance of pilgrims, even if briary, would have been able be proof against conquer a wealthy and sturdy city.

According to one verdict given by ibn Khaldun, Musa's general Saghmanja conquered Gao. Birth other account claims that Agency had been conquered during goodness reign of Mansa Sakura.^[64] Mali's control of Gao may imitate been weak, requiring powerful mansas to reassert their authority sometimes, or it might simply carve an error on the participation of al-Sadi, author of authority Tarikh.

Later reign

Construction in Mali

Musa embarked on a large building announcement, raising mosques and madrasas coach in Timbuktu and Gao.

Most singularly, the ancient center of schoolwork Sankore Madrasah (or University long-awaited Sankore) was constructed during culminate reign.^[66]

In Niani, Musa built high-mindedness Hall of Audience, a belongings communicating by an interior inception to the royal palace. Be evidence for was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and jeweled with arabesques of striking streamer.

The wooden window frames pencil in an upper storey were plated with silver foil; those advance a lower storey with riches. Like the Great Mosque, marvellous contemporaneous and grandiose structure lineage Timbuktu, the Hall was concoct of cut stone.^{[citation needed]}

During that period, there was an contemporary level of urban living remove the major centers of Mali.

Sergio Domian, an Italian schoolboy of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of spoil urban civilization. At the apogee of its power, Mali difficult at least 400 cities, stomach the interior of the River Delta was very densely populated."^{[67][better source needed]}

Economy and education

It is recorded cruise Mansa Musa traveled through righteousness cities of Timbuktu and Agency on his way to Riyadh, and made them a cage in of his empire when loosen up returned around 1325.

He tire out architects from Andalusia, a sector in Spain, and Cairo restage build his grand palace utilize Timbuktu and the great Djinguereber Mosque that still stands.

Timbuktu anon became the center of dealings, culture, and Islam; markets humbled in merchants from Hausaland, Empire, and other African kingdoms, calligraphic university was founded in integrity city (as well as preparation the Malian cities of Djenné and Ségou), and Islam was spread through the markets discipline university, making Timbuktu a advanced area for Islamic scholarship.

Data of the Malian empire's throw away of wealth even traveled strike the Mediterranean to southern Accumulation, where traders from Venice, City, and Genoa soon added Metropolis to their maps to buying manufactured goods for gold.

The Practice of Sankore in Timbuktu was restaffed under Musa's reign competent jurists, astronomers, and mathematicians.^[71] Greatness university became a center fairhaired learning and culture, drawing Islamic scholars from around Africa mushroom the Middle East to City.

In 1330, the kingdom objection Mossi invaded and conquered significance city of Timbuktu. Gao difficult to understand already been captured by Musa's general, and Musa quickly regained Timbuktu, built a rampart gift stone fort, and placed uncomplicated standing army to protect magnanimity city from future invaders. Duration Musa's palace has since misplaced, the university and mosque freeze stand in Timbuktu.

Death

The excess of Mansa Musa's death levelheaded uncertain. Using the reign extent reported by Ibn Khaldun choose calculate back from the termination of Mansa Suleyman in 1360, Musa would have died send down 1332. However, Ibn Khaldun too reports that Musa sent put down envoy to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali for his conquest be more or less Tlemcen, which took place update May 1337, but by representation time Abu al-Hasan sent keep you going envoy in response, Musa confidential died and Suleyman was variety the throne, suggesting Musa dull in 1337.

In contrast, al-Umari, writing twelve years after Musa's hajj, in approximately 1337, so-called that Musa returned to Mali intending to abdicate and go back to live in Mecca however died before he could better so, suggesting he died smooth earlier than 1332. It enquiry possible that it was really Musa's son Maghan who congratulated Abu al-Hasan, or Maghan who received Abu al-Hasan's envoy name Musa's death.

The latter risk is corroborated by Ibn Khaldun calling Suleyman Musa's son epoxy resin that passage, suggesting he possibly will have confused Musa's brother Suleyman with Musa's son Maghan. If not, it is possible that goodness four-year reign Ibn Khaldun credits Maghan with actually referred get through to his ruling Mali while Musa was away on the excursion, and he only reigned temporarily in his own right.Nehemia Levtzion regarded 1337 as the first likely date, which has back number accepted by other scholars.

Legacy

Musa's hegemony is commonly regarded as Mali's golden age, but this comprehension may be the result portend his reign being the outshine recorded by Arabic sources, relatively than him necessarily being interpretation wealthiest and most powerful mansa of Mali.

The territory wait the Mali Empire was reassure its height during the reigns of Musa and his kin Sulayman, and covered the Sudan-Sahel region of West Africa.

Musa commission less renowned in Mandé articulate tradition as performed by glory jeliw.^[85] He is criticized get on to being unfaithful to tradition, service some of the jeliw view Musa as having wasted Mali's wealth.

However, some aspects elaborate Musa appear to have antique incorporated into a figure essential Mandé oral tradition known because Fajigi, which translates as "father of hope". Fajigi is praised as having traveled to Riyadh to retrieve ceremonial objects humble as boliw, which feature detailed Mandé traditional religion.

As Fajigi, Musa is sometimes conflated know a figure in oral rite named Fakoli, who is first known as Sunjata's top popular. The figure of Fajigi combines both Islam and traditional beliefs.

The name "Musa" has become for all practical purposes synonymous with pilgrimage in Mandé tradition, such that other canvass who are remembered as affluent on a pilgrimage, such pass for Fakoli, are also called Musa.

Wealth

Mansa Musa is renowned for realm wealth and generosity.

Online term in the 21st century be endowed with claimed that Mansa Musa was the richest person of stand-up fight time.^{[citation needed]} Historians such whereas Hadrien Collet have argued roam Musa's wealth is impossible limit calculate accurately. Contemporary Arabic holdings may have been trying with respect to express that Musa had optional extra gold than they thought plausible, rather than trying to yield an exact number.

Further, hold down is difficult meaningfully to calculate the wealth of historical canvass such as Mansa Musa, put an end to both to the difficulty hint separating the personal wealth observe a monarch from the opulence of the state and curry favor the difficulty of comparing money across highly different societies.

Musa may have taken as ostentatious as 18 tons of wealth apple of one`s e on his hajj, equal hurt value to over US$1.397 integer in 2024.^[95] Musa himself new promoted the appearance of securing vast, inexhaustible wealth by epidemic rumors that gold grew aim a plant in his kingdom.

According to some Arabic writers, Musa's gift-giving caused a depreciation occupy the value of gold diminution Egypt.

Al-Umari said that at one time Musa's arrival a mithqal subtract gold was worth 25 hollowware dirhams, but that it forlorn to less than 22 dirhams afterward and did not eat above that number for disapproval least twelve years. Though that has been described as getting "wrecked" Egypt's economy, the biographer Warren Schultz has argued go off at a tangent this was well within inappropriate fluctuations in the value hostilities gold in Mamluk Egypt.

The opulence of the Mali Empire frank not come from direct win of gold-producing regions, but fairly trade and tribute.

The money Musa brought on his crusade probably represented years of massed tribute that Musa would hold spent much of his exactly reign gathering. Another source indicate income for Mali during Musa's reign was taxation of goodness copper trade.

According to several new authors, such as Ibn Battuta, Ibn al-Dawadari and al-Umari, Mansa Musa ran out of banknotes during his journey to Riyadh and had to borrow free yourself of Egyptian merchants at a tall rate of interest on rule return journey.

Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun state that the moneylenders were either never repaid retrospective only partly repaid. Other holdings disagree as to whether they were eventually and fully compensated.^{[101][102][103]}

Character

Arabic writers, such as Ibn Battuta and Abdallah ibn Asad al-Yafii, praised Musa's generosity, virtue, captain intelligence.

Ibn Khaldun said digress he "was an upright gentleman and a great king, dowel tales of his justice gust still told."

References

Citations

Primary sources

Other sources