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Mansa Musa Influence

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While Europe was plagued with diseases and constant warfare, Islamic kingdoms in Africa were prospering. After the fall of the Kingdom of Ghana, the Mali Empire rose to dominate Western Africa. It became one of the most prominent states in the Islamic world, in large part due to Musa Keita I. Considered to be one of the richest people to ever live, he has been credited with making the Mali Empire a cultural center in the Islamic world. Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca, which not only was one of the grandest journeys in history but also had a significant influence on numerous kingdoms and the spread of Islam in Africa. Mansa Musa began his rule in 1312 after his uncle didn’t return from a voyage into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike most …show more content…

The wealth of the Emperor was essential to the journey and its grandness. It took years and involved the work of thousands, but in 1324 Mansa Musa began his one year pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, thus becoming the first ruler in West Africa to make the four thousand mile journey. The caravan assembled in the city of Niani from where the journey began. His entourage included tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians and slaves, five hundred heralds bearing gold staffs and dressed in fine silks, and many camels and horse bearing an abundance of gold bars. The caravan stretched as far as the eye could see. Everywhere Mansa Musa went, he gave away gold. He gave it away as gifts, as charity to the poor and hungry, and spent it generously at markets. Stories of his altruism spread around the kingdoms of Africa, and legends were told of the great Empire of Mali. Showering people with gold wasn’t Musa’s only objective during his pilgrimage. As a devout Muslim, he made it his goal to spread Islam. If the day Mansa Musa’s caravan stopped to rest happened to be Friday, he would pay for a mosque to be built in the

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