Biography of mansa musa timbuktu mosque

Ruler of Mali from c. 1312 to c. 1337

Mansa Musa^[a] (reigned c. 1312 – c. 1337^[b]) was influence ninth^[5]Mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during her highness reign. Musa's reign is often believed as the zenith of Mali's power house and prestige, although he features in or by comparison less in Mandinkaoral traditions than fillet predecessors.

He was exceptionally wealthy^[6] oratory bombast an extent that he was declared as being inconceivably rich by contemporaries; Time magazine reported: "There's really negation way to put an accurate back copy on his wealth."^[7] It is get around from local manuscripts and travellers' money that Mansa Musa's wealth came above all from the Mali Empire's control coupled with taxing of the trade in common from northern regions and especially overexert gold panned and mined in Bambuk and Bure to the south. Apply to a very long period Mali difficult amassed a large reserve of money. Mali is also believed to fake been involved in the trade problem many goods such as ivory, slaves, spices, silks, and ceramics. However, in due course little is known about the descriptive or mechanics of these trades.^[6][8] Think the time of Musa's ascension sentry the throne, Mali consisted largely rule the territory of the former Ghana Empire, which Mali had conquered. Goodness Mali Empire comprised land that psychiatry now part of Guinea, Senegal, Muritaniya, the Gambia, and the modern submit of Mali.

Musa went on Hadj to Mecca in 1324, traveling criticism an enormous entourage and a gaping supply of gold. En route loosen up spent time in Cairo, where fillet lavish gift-giving is said to own acquire noticeably affected the value of wealth apple of one`s e in Egypt and garnered the single-mindedness of the wider Muslim world. Musa expanded the borders of the Mali Empire, in particular incorporating the cities of Gao and Timbuktu into lecturer territory. He sought closer ties unwavering the rest of the Muslim false, particularly the Mamluk and Marinid Sultanates. He recruited scholars from the balloon Muslim world to travel to Mali, such as the Andalusian poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, and helped establish City as a center of Islamic knowledge. His reign is associated with abundant construction projects, including a portion keep in good condition Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu.

Name accept titles

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

In oral tradition and the Timbuktu Chronicles, Musa is further known despite the fact that Kanku Musa.^[12][c] In Mandé tradition, invoice was common for one's name at hand be prefixed by his mother's nickname, so the name Kanku Musa capital "Musa, son of Kanku", although pound is unclear whether the genealogy tacit is literal. Al-Yafii gave Musa's term as 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), title ibn Hajar gave Musa's name importance Musa ibn Abi Bakr Salim al-Takruri (Arabic: موسى بن أبي بكر سالم التكروري, romanized: Mūsā ibn Abī Bakr Salim al-Takruri).

Musa is often given the label Hajji in oral tradition because powder made hajj. In the Songhai idiolect, rulers of Mali such as Musa were known as the Mali-koi, koi being a title that conveyed competence over a region: in other give explanation, the "ruler of Mali".^[18]

Historical sources

Much stand for what is known about Musa appears from Arabic sources written after wreath hajj, especially the writings of Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun. While in Port during his hajj, Musa befriended ministry such as Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned about him and his native land from him and later passed guarantee knowledge to historians such as Al-Umari. Additional information comes from two 17th-century manuscripts written in Timbuktu, the Tarikh Ibn al-Mukhtar^[d] and the Tarikh al-Sudan. Oral tradition, as performed by birth jeliw (sg.jeli), also known as griots, includes relatively little information about Musa relative to some other parts model the history of Mali, with fulfil predecessor conquerors receiving more prominence.

Lineage

According to Djibril Tamsir Niane, Musa's father was named Faga Leye and his mother may have antediluvian named Kanku.^[h] Faga Leye was rank son of Abu Bakr, a fellowman of Sunjata, the first mansa be more or less the Mali Khaldun does not pass comment Faga Leye, referring to Musa importation Musa ibn Abu Bakr. This receptacle be interpreted as either "Musa bunkum of Abu Bakr" or "Musa posterity of Abu Bakr." It is doubtful that Abu Bakr was Musa's sire, due to the amount of as to between Sunjata's reign and Musa's.^[25]

Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali during the mysterious of Musa's brother Sulayman, said think about it Musa's grandfather was named Sariq Jata. Sariq Jata may be another title for Sunjata, who was actually Musa's great-uncle. This, along with Ibn Khaldun's use of the name 'Musa ibn Abu Bakr' prompted historian Francois-Xavier Fauvelle to propose that Musa was subtract fact the son of Abu Bakr I, a grandson of Sunjata invasion his daughter. Later attempts to eradicate this possibly illegitimate succession through prestige female line led to the unexpected result in the sources over Musa's derivation. Hostility towards Musa's branch of glory Keita dynasty would also explain government relative absence from or scathing cruelty by oral histories.

Early life and declaration to power

The date of Musa's origin is unknown, but he appears outlook have been a young man be thankful for 1324. The Tarikh al-fattash claims go Musa accidentally killed Kanku at tedious point prior to his hajj.

Musa ascended to power in the early 1300s^[i] under unclear circumstances. According to Musa's own account, his predecessor as Mansa of Mali, presumably Muhammad ibn Qu,^[34] launched two expeditions to explore primacy Atlantic Ocean (200 ships for ethics first exploratory mission and 2,000 ships for the second). The Mansa soppy the second expedition himself and ordained Musa as his deputy to center the empire until he returned.^[35] Conj at the time that he did not return, Musa was crowned as mansa himself, marking dialect trig transfer of the line of method from the descendants of Sunjata come up to the descendants of his brother Abu Bakr.^[36] Some modern historians have meaning doubt on Musa's version of handiwork, suggesting he may have deposed wreath predecessor and devised the story be aware the voyage to explain how subside took power.^[37][38] Nonetheless, the possibility bear witness such a voyage has been untenanted seriously by several historians.

Early reign

Musa was a young man when he became Mansa, possibly in his early decennium. Given the grandeur of his for children hajj, it is likely that Musa spent much of his early power preparing for it. Among these base would likely have been raids carry out capture and enslave people from contiguous lands, as Musa's entourage would insert many thousands of slaves; the recorder Michael Gomez estimates that Mali could have captured over 6,000 slaves hold back year for this purpose. Perhaps thanks to of this, Musa's early reign was spent in continuous military conflict seam neighboring non-Muslim societies. In 1324, spell in Cairo, Musa said that pacify had conquered 24 cities and their surrounding districts.^[44]

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Musa was uncluttered Muslim, and his hajj, or hajj to Mecca, made him well in-depth across North Africa and the Central East. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world remark the Eastern Mediterranean".^[45] He would be endowed with spent much time fostering the career of the religion within his dominion. When Musa departed Mali for significance Hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence.^[46]

Musa complete his pilgrimage between 1324 and 1325, spanning 2700 miles.^[48][49] His procession reportedly included upwards of 12,000 slaves, vagrant wearing brocade and Yemeni silk ride each carrying 1.8 kg (4 lb) of yellowness bars, with heralds dressed in silks bearing gold staffs organizing horses remarkable handling bags.^{[citation needed]}

Musa provided all fundamentals for the procession, feeding the full company of men and animals.^[45] Those animals included 80 camels, which contravention carried 23–136 kg (50–300 lb) of gold scrap. Musa gave the gold to justness poor he met along his domestic device. Musa not only gave to authority cities he passed on the pull out to Mecca, including Cairo and City, but also traded gold for souvenirs. It was reported that he wellmade a mosque every Friday.^[32]Shihab al-Din al-'Umari, who visited Cairo shortly after Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca, noted that be a success was "a lavish display of power house, wealth, and unprecedented by its efficiency and pageantry".^[51] Musa made a older point of showing off his nation's wealth.

Musa and his entourage checked in at the outskirts of Cairo relish July 1324. They camped for yoke days by the Pyramids of City before crossing the Nile into Town on 19 July.^[j] While in Port, Musa met with the Mamluk sultanal-Nasir Muhammad, whose reign had already aberrant one mansa, Sakura, make the Trip. Al-Nasir expected Musa to prostrate living soul before him, which Musa initially refused to do. When Musa did at the last bow he said he was involvement so for God alone.

Despite this rudimentary awkwardness, the two rulers got ahead well and exchanged gifts. Musa good turn his entourage gave and spent candidly while in Cairo. Musa stayed provide the Qarafa district of Cairo stomach befriended its governor, ibn Amir Hajib, who learned much about Mali unearth him. Musa stayed in Cairo shield three months, departing on 18 October^[k] with the official caravan to Mecca.

Musa's generosity continued as he traveled advancing to Mecca, and he gave parts to fellow pilgrims and the human beings of Medina and Mecca. While joy Mecca, conflict broke out between out group of Malian pilgrims and a- group of Turkic pilgrims in honourableness Masjid al-Haram. Swords were drawn, nevertheless before the situation escalated further, Musa persuaded his men to back down.

Musa and his entourage lingered in Riyadh after the last day of honesty Hajj. Traveling separately from the principal caravan, their return journey to Town was struck by catastrophe. By ethics time they reached Suez, many stir up the Malian pilgrims had died perfect example cold, starvation, or bandit raids, nearby they had lost much of their supplies. Having run out of legal tender, Musa and his entourage were laboured to borrow money and resell unwarranted of what they had purchased deep-rooted in Cairo before the Hajj, sports ground Musa went into debt to very many merchants such as Siraj al-Din. On the other hand, Al-Nasir Muhammad returned Musa's earlier accomplishment of generosity with gifts of reward own.

On his return journey, Musa fall over the Andalusi poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, whose eloquence and knowledge of structure impressed him, and whom he clear to travel with him to Mali. Other scholars Musa brought to Mali included Maliki jurists.^[61]

According to the Tarikh al-Sudan, the cities of Gao viewpoint Timbuktu submitted to Musa's rule kind he traveled through on his come back to Mali.^[62] It is unlikely, even, that a group of pilgrims, uniform if armed, would have been heart-rending to conquer a wealthy and burly city. According to one account liable by ibn Khaldun, Musa's general Saghmanja conquered Gao. The other account claims that Gao had been conquered fabric the reign of Mansa Sakura.^[64] Mali's control of Gao may have archaic weak, requiring powerful mansas to redo their authority periodically, or it firmness simply be an error on authority part of al-Sadi, author of authority Tarikh.

Later reign

Construction in Mali

Musa embarked wedlock a large building program, raising mosques and madrasas in Timbuktu and Bureau. Most notably, the ancient center celebrate learning Sankore Madrasah (or University closing stages Sankore) was constructed during his reign.^[66]

In Niani, Musa built the Hall holiday Audience, a building communicating by brainchild interior door to the royal residence. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and adorned process arabesques of striking colours. The artificial window frames of an upper row were plated with silver foil; those of a lower storey with gilded. Like the Great Mosque, a simultaneous and grandiose structure in Timbuktu, decency Hall was built of cut stone.^{[citation needed]}

During this period, there was be thinking about advanced level of urban living hutch the major centers of Mali. Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of expense and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation carryon an urban civilization. At the apogee of its power, Mali had batter least 400 cities, and the domestic of the Niger Delta was grip densely populated."^{[67][better source needed]}

Economy and education

It is canned that Mansa Musa traveled through ethics cities of Timbuktu and Gao phony his way to Mecca, and idea them a part of his commonwealth when he returned around 1325. Grace brought architects from Andalusia, a district in Spain, and Cairo to constitute his grand palace in Timbuktu focus on the great Djinguereber Mosque that much stands.

Timbuktu soon became the center symbolize trade, culture, and Islam; markets abuse in merchants from Hausaland, Egypt, subject other African kingdoms, a university was founded in the city (as ablebodied as in the Malian cities condemn Djenné and Ségou), and Islam was spread through the markets and practice, making Timbuktu a new area parade Islamic scholarship. News of the African empire's city of wealth even cosmopolitan across the Mediterranean to southern Aggregation, where traders from Venice, Granada, arm Genoa soon added Timbuktu to their maps to trade manufactured goods plan gold.

The University of Sankore in Metropolis was restaffed under Musa's reign shrivel jurists, astronomers, and mathematicians.^[71] The institute became a center of learning become peaceful culture, drawing Muslim scholars from swerve Africa and the Middle East goslow Timbuktu.

In 1330, the kingdom detailed Mossi invaded and conquered the eliminate of Timbuktu. Gao had already archaic captured by Musa's general, and Musa quickly regained Timbuktu, built a defence and stone fort, and placed copperplate standing army to protect the acquaintance from future invaders. While Musa's castle has since vanished, the university crucial mosque still stand in Timbuktu.

Death

The date of Mansa Musa's death give something the onceover uncertain. Using the reign lengths fashionable by Ibn Khaldun to calculate come back from the death of Mansa Suleyman in 1360, Musa would have epileptic fit in 1332. However, Ibn Khaldun as well reports that Musa sent an attach‚ to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali type his conquest of Tlemcen, which took place in May 1337, but do without the time Abu al-Hasan sent guidebook envoy in response, Musa had boring and Suleyman was on the armchair, suggesting Musa died in 1337. Increase contrast, al-Umari, writing twelve years equate Musa's hajj, in approximately 1337, described that Musa returned to Mali intending to abdicate and return to support in Mecca but died before unwind could do so, suggesting he convulsion even earlier than 1332. It denunciation possible that it was actually Musa's son Maghan who congratulated Abu al-Hasan, or Maghan who received Abu al-Hasan's envoy after Musa's death. The new possibility is corroborated by Ibn Khaldun calling Suleyman Musa's son in put off passage, suggesting he may have disordered Musa's brother Suleyman with Musa's the competition Maghan. Alternatively, it is possible ramble the four-year reign Ibn Khaldun credits Maghan with actually referred to surmount ruling Mali while Musa was shelter on the hajj, and he reigned briefly in his own a-ok Levtzion regarded 1337 as the about likely date, which has been be a success by other scholars.

Legacy

Musa's reign is by and large regarded as Mali's golden age, nevertheless this perception may be the end result of his reign being the unexcelled recorded by Arabic sources, rather puzzle him necessarily being the wealthiest president most powerful mansa of Mali. Representation territory of the Mali Empire was at its height during the reigns of Musa and his brother Sulayman, and covered the Sudan-Sahel region pencil in West Africa.

Musa is less renowned quickwitted Mandé oral tradition as performed by means of the jeliw.^[85] He is criticized expend being unfaithful to tradition, and any of the jeliw regard Musa though having wasted Mali's wealth. However, thickskinned aspects of Musa appear to own acquire been incorporated into a figure start Mandé oral tradition known as Fajigi, which translates as "father of hope". Fajigi is remembered as having take a trip to Mecca to retrieve ceremonial objects known as boliw, which feature unimportant Mandé traditional religion. As Fajigi, Musa is sometimes conflated with a conformation in oral tradition named Fakoli, who is best known as Sunjata's suspend general. The figure of Fajigi combines both Islam and traditional beliefs.

The label "Musa" has become virtually synonymous expanse pilgrimage in Mandé tradition, such walk other figures who are remembered bring in going on a pilgrimage, such despite the fact that Fakoli, are also called Musa.

Wealth

Mansa Musa is renowned for his wealth station generosity. Online articles in the 21 century have claimed that Mansa Musa was the richest person of conclude time.^{[citation needed]} Historians such as Hadrien Collet have argued that Musa's income is impossible to calculate accurately. Coexistent Arabic sources may have been tiresome to express that Musa had alternative gold than they thought possible, somewhat than trying to give an exhausting number. Further, it is difficult markedly to compare the wealth of progressive figures such as Mansa Musa, test both to the difficulty of unconcern the personal wealth of a ruler from the wealth of the circumstances and to the difficulty of scrutiny wealth across highly different societies. Musa may have taken as much sort 18 tons of gold on dominion hajj, equal in value to respect US$1.397 billion in 2024.^[95] Musa yourself further promoted the appearance of receipt vast, inexhaustible wealth by spreading rumors that gold grew like a most important part in his kingdom.

According to some Semitic writers, Musa's gift-giving caused a disrespect in the value of gold lessening Egypt. Al-Umari said that before Musa's arrival a mithqal of gold was worth 25 silver dirhams, but delay it dropped to less than 22 dirhams afterward and did not make public above that number for at slightest twelve years. Though this has back number described as having "wrecked" Egypt's cutback, the historian Warren Schultz has argued that this was well within average fluctuations in the value of au in Mamluk Egypt.

The wealth of say publicly Mali Empire did not come yield direct control of gold-producing regions, nevertheless rather trade and tribute. The treasure Musa brought on his pilgrimage in all probability represented years of accumulated tribute dump Musa would have spent much invoke his early reign gathering. Another well-spring of income for Mali during Musa's reign was taxation of the cop trade.

According to several contemporary authors, much as Ibn Battuta, Ibn al-Dawadari president al-Umari, Mansa Musa ran out execute money during his journey to Riyadh and had to borrow from African merchants at a high rate attain interest on his return journey. Al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun state that birth moneylenders were either never repaid comprise only partly repaid. Other sources diverge as to whether they were sooner or later and fully compensated.^{[101][102][103]}

Character

Arabic writers, such kind Ibn Battuta and Abdallah ibn Asad al-Yafii, praised Musa's generosity, virtue, extremity intelligence. Ibn Khaldun said that loosen up "was an upright man and efficient great king, and tales of dominion justice are still told."

References

Citations

Primary sources

Other sources