1.3k SHARES Share Tweet

Mansa Musa was the emperor of the Mali Empire in the 14th century. Musa is well-known for his pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in 1324. This introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe. According to Blackpast.org Musa ruled over “two thousand miles from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad and which included all or parts of the modern nations of Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad, ensured decades of peace and prosperity in Western Africa.”

SEE ALSO: Life of Civil Rights Leader: Medgar Evers

In 1312 Musa became emperor after the death of Abu-Bakr II. After being crowned he was given the name Mansa meaning king. Musa was very knowledgeable in Arabic and was described as a Muslim traditionalist. He became the first Muslim ruler in West Africa to make the journey to Mecca. Musa began his pilgrimage in 1324 where he was accompanied by thousands of well-dressed servants and supporters. Musa gave generously to the poor and to charitable organizations as well as the rulers of the lands his entourage crossed.

After he returned from Mecca, Mansa Musa brought Arab scholars, government bureaucrats, and architects. One of the notable people who returned with him was the architect Ishaq El Teudjin who introduced advanced building techniques to Mali. Teudjin went on to design numerous buildings for the Emperor including a new palace named Madagou, the mosque at Gao, the second largest city in Mali, and the still-standing great mosque at Timbuktu, the largest city in the empire.

SEE ALSO: Mary Ann Shadd Cary: Shook Up the Abolitionist Movement

Mansa Musa pilgrimage to Mecca got the attention of several European countries. Then over the next two centuries Italian, German, and, Spanish cartographers produced maps of the world which showed Mali. These maps often made reference to Musa. The first of these maps appeared in Italy in 1339 with Mansa Musa’s name and likeness.

Mansa Musa died in 1337 after a twenty-five-year reign. He was succeeded by his son, Maghan I.

Here are three additional facts about Mansa Musa.

1. Mansa Musa came into power in 1312. At this time, most of Europe was struggling economically and faced a decline in gold and silver production. While there were many African kingdoms were doing well.

2. While in power Musa expanded the borders of his empire massively. He went on to annexed the city of Timbuktu and reestablished power over Gao. In the end, his empire stretched about 2,000 miles. To put it in terms of countries today Musa ruled over all (or parts) of what we call modern-day Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad.

3. Musa urbanized the city of Timbuktu by building schools, a major university and a legendary Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu which still stands today. According to Blackpast.org “the awareness of Musa by other Islamic leaders brought increased commerce and scholars, poets, and artisans, making Timbuktu one of the leading cities in the Islamic world during the time when the most advanced nations from Spain to central India were Muslim. Timbuktu was clearly the center of Islamic Sub-Saharan Africa.”

[media-credit name=”TIMBUKTU’S OLDEST MOSQUE, DJINGUEREBER” link=”https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/islam/timbuktus-oldest-mosque-djinguereber-is-spared-during-terrorist-attacks” align=”alignnone” width=”625″] [/media-credit]

Copyright ©2018 The Black Detour All Rights Reserved.