Musa Keita I was born in 1280 and died in 1337. He was the Mansa (Emperor, or King of Kings) of the Mali Empire who reigned from 1312 to approximately 1337. Mansa Musa was also addressed as Conqueror of Ghanata, Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara and other noble names. He was the 10th Mansa who ruled the Mali Empire, having succeeded Mansa Abubakari II, and being succeeded by Mansa Maghan Musa.
At the time when Mansa Musa ruled the Empire, the outright size of his net worth was as much as $400 billion in today’s money. He was considered to be the richest person in the world, and even until now, no one person is estimated to have superseded his enormous wealth, at least publicly. Of course, the main source of Mansa Musa’s net worth was considered the fruits of his conquests.
Mansa Musa Net Worth $400 Billion
Having a look at the genealogy based on Arab scholars, Abu-Bakr Keita, the grandfather of Mansa Musa had a brother called Sundiata Keita, who founded the Malian Empire. Neither Abu-Bakr Keita, the grandfather, nor Faga Layer, the father of Mansa Musa, ruled the Malian Empire, as the throne was not simply a matter of royal succession. Mansa Musa could have taken the throne over only after undertaking a pilgrimage to Mecca, or making another significant endeavours. As long as Musa was a devoted Muslim, travelling to Mecca was considered as a duty appointed by Allah. He is reputed to have taken 60,000 men with him, who had to carry heralds and gold bars, plus 80 camels which also carried gold dust. Mansa Musa had to ensure all the necessities for the procession, including shelter and nutrition. The men, slaves and camels were carrying gold, as Musa wanted to give it to the poor they met on their path to Mecca, as well as to make a present to every city they passed, including Medina, Cairo and others. On top of all this, they allegedly built a mosque every Friday. The legend of his pilgrimage was spread all over by the world by word of mouth, so Musa was very popular among the people even before becoming the emperor of Mali. Needless to mention, that after he was appointed the ruler of the Malian Empire, his net worth increased further.
It is important to note that during his reign Mansa Musa initiated many constructions. He built many madrasas (educational institutions) among which the most important was Sankore Madrasah (University of Sankore) still standing today, and mosques in the cities of Gao and Timbuktu. Famous Spanish architects built the great Djinguereber Mosque, the grand palace located in Timbuktu which is also standing until now. The growing Timbuktu city, with many educational institutions, became a centre of culture. In addition to this, traders from Egypt, Hausaland and other places travelled to Timbuktu, bringing their goods to exchange for gold. Thus, the net worth of Mansa Musa increased even further, as Timbuktu became not only a cultural centre but also a centre of trade from throughout Africa and the middle east.
Talking about the private life of Mansa Musa, it is known that he had two sons with his wife Inari Kunate. The reason for and date of his death remains unclear, debated among scholars and historians even to this day.
