Had he lived, he would have overthrown even Jeff Bezos! The richest person on earth ever
0Had he lived, he would have overthrown even Jeff Bezos!,The richest person on earth ever
Although the American billionaire Jeff Bezos comes to mind when the word 'the richest person in the world' is mentioned, the person who deserves the phrase 'as rich as Karun' lived 700 years ago. So how did King Mansa Musa, the King of Mali, have such a fortune that would have overthrown even the famous billionaire?
If King Mansa Musa, who ruled in Mali, had lived, he could have made his name on the list of the richest people in the world, with a fortune that is estimated to be about 2 trillion dollars according to the best estimates! So, considering that the fortune of US billionaire Jeff Bezos, who is on this list, is close to 200 billion dollars, how did Mansa Musa reach such wealth in the 14th century? Here is the successful empire story of the mind-blowing rich king.
THEY SAID THE MASTER OF THE MINE
Musa Keita was born in Mali in the 1280s. Known as 'mansa', which means 'king of kings', Musa came to the throne at the age of 32 and declared his empire after his father could not return from his expedition. He was responsible for a very wide geography, so it was impossible to see the places he would rule with the naked eye. The Mali Empire became extremely wealthy because it owned trade routes from sub-Saharan Africa to the north and controlled especially salt and gold reserves. Gold was like a coin for the Malians, as the empire controlled large mines.
For this reason, Mansa Musa, who came to the throne at the age of 32, inherited a powerful and rich country. However, this situation did not cause complacency in Moses. He carried the Mali Empire to a higher level with his investments in trade. He brought great abundance and wealth to his country by mining the underground mines of Africa. The people of Mali soon began to call him 'Moses, the Lord of the Mines'. He made the Mali Empire, which included 400 cities, the most important commercial and cultural center of Africa.
EVEN THE SLAVES WERE CLOTHED IN SILK, SISTERED WITH GOLD
Mansa Musa, a devout Muslim, wanted to go to Mecca after bringing peace and prosperity to Africa. He was going to Mecca, but it had to be such a journey that people should still talk about it centuries later. As a matter of fact, it happened. He took to the world stage with an epic pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. He generously dressed all of his soldiers and slaves with Persian silk. There were also 100 camels in his caravan, each carrying gold bullion. Moreover, he had given golden walking sticks to the hands of those in front of the caravan. After arriving in Cairo, his caravan spent so much gold in Egypt and gave so much gold as gifts to the poor that it boosted the country's economy for about a year.
RULE 400 CITIES
Mansa Musa, like all other Muslim kings, expanded his empire with the logic of 'conquer and rule'. He teamed up with Saran Mandian, a skilled general, to conquer many cities, including Timbuktu, the capital of Mali, and Gao, the capital of Songhai. In a short time, King Musa created a huge Malian army consisting of 100,000 foot and 100,000 horsemen. Possibly the second largest empire in the world after the Mongols, he controlled about 400 cities, which he ruled through governors called 'farba'. The huge empire that King Moses built was admirable. The empire included present-day Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Mauritania. In addition, he did not exploit the regions he conquered, and appointed governors to the provinces who did their job properly. He paid attention to the values of the local people under his rule, and if possible, he chose his governors from the people of the region.
THE MOSQUE HE BUILT IS UNIQUE
The fact that he was devoted to the religion of Islam with great faith also affected the African people, and tens of thousands of Africans became Muslims for this reason. In addition, the Arab merchants and travelers who came to Mali and the privileges granted to them played a great role in the religious change of the region. Seeing that his people had embraced Islam, the king ordered that a unique mosque be built in Timbuktu. On his return to Cairo in 1325, he brought with him architects who built palaces in Niani, the Great Mosque in Gao, and the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu. The Djinguereber (Heaven) Mosque, whose construction was completed in 1327, was aesthetically unmatched in Africa. King Moses was not satisfied with this, he founded universities that carried out studies in the fields of astronomy, medicine and engineering. Mali became a frequent destination for Muslim scholars.