Mansa Musa

Mansa Kankan Musa I or Mansa Musa a 14th century king of the Mali Empire. He is remembered for his fabled hajj and as a benefactor of Islamic scholarship.

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Musa was the grandson of the founder of the Mali's Empire, Sundiata Keita, and ruled over Mali while it was the source of almost half the world's gold. Musa was a devoted Muslim and Islamic scholarship flourished under his rule. With Musa as a benefactor, Sankore University in Timbuktu reached its height. Craftsmen and especially Islamic scholars came from all over the Muslim world to receive a free education at Sankore's guilds and madrasas.

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Musa is, perhaps, most famous for his hajj. As part of his pilgrimage to Mecca, Musa gave gold away generously. When he passed through Cairo, he gave out so much gold that it took at least 12 years for the price to recover. The Arab historian al-Umari records that Musa was so generous that he ran out of money and had to take out a loan to be able to afford the journey home. Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds.

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He was succeeded in 1337 by his son Maghan and in 1341 by his brother Suleyman. The Mansa-Ray are the 8th generation of Mansa-Musa that travelled out of Mali to the Western Coast of Africa to help spread peace, justice and the teachings of Mansa-Musa. They never returned to Mali. Most can be found in countries like Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

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Mansa: Mansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings." It is particularly associated with the Keita dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Powers of the mansa included the right to dispense justice and to monopolize trade, particularly in gol...

14th century: As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400....

Mali Empire: The Mali Empire was an Islamic Empire of the Mandinka people in West Africa from the 14th to 17th centuries. The empire was founded by the king, or Mansa, Sundiata Keita, was famous for the generosity and wealth of Mansa Kankan Musa I, and for the fabled wealth of the city of Timbuktu....

Mansa Musa related Images and Photos (experimental)

Musa The Warrior

Banana Musa Sapientum

Poster: Renoir Musée De L'Orangerie in the Tuileries

Banana Tree Flowering with a Small Group of Developing Fruits (Musa) Florida USA