Editing Mansa Musa (section)

{{Short description|Ruler of Mali from c. 1312 to c. 1337}}{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Musa I
| image        = Catalan Atlas BNF Sheet 6 Mansa Musa (cropped).jpg
| caption      = Depiction of Mansa Musa, ruler of the [[Mali Empire]] in the 14th century, from the 1375 [[Catalan Atlas]] (Paris, [[Bibliothèque nationale de France|BnF]], Espagnol 30, sheet 6). The label reads: ''This Black Lord is called Musse Melly and is the sovereign of the land of the black people of Gineva ([[Ghana]]). This king is the richest and noblest of all these lands due to the abundance of gold that is extracted from his lands.''<ref>{{cite web |title=The Cresques Project - Panel III |url= https://www.cresquesproject.net/catalan-atlas-legends/panel-iii |website=cresquesproject.net |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212173913/https://www.cresquesproject.net/catalan-atlas-legends/panel-iii |url-status=live }}</ref>
| alt          = 
| reign        = {{circa|1312|1337|lk=no}} ({{approx.|25 years}})
| coronation   = 
| cor-type     = 
| succession   = [[Mansa (title)|Mansa]] of [[Mali Empire|Mali]]
| moretext     = 
| predecessor  = [[Mansa Muhammad|Muhammad]]<ref>{{harvnb|Levtzion|1963|p=346}}</ref>
| regent       = 
| successor    = [[Maghan|Magha]]
| reg-type1    = 
| regent1      = 
| spouse       = Inari Konte{{sfn|Bühnen|1994|p=12}}
| house        = [[Keita dynasty]]
| mother       = 
| birth_date   = 1280
| birth_place  = [[Mali Empire]]
| death_date   = {{Circa|1337|lk=no}} (aged c. 57)
| death_place  = Mali Empire
| date of burial = 
| place of burial = 
| religion     = [[Islam]] [[Maliki]]
}}

'''Mansa Musa'''{{efn|{{langx|ar|منسا موسى|Mansā Mūsā}}}} (reigned {{circa|1312|1337}}{{efn|The dates of Musa's reign are uncertain. Musa is reported to have reigned for 25 years, and different lines of evidence suggest he died either {{circa|1332}} or {{circa|1337|lk=no}}, with the 1337 date being considered more likely.{{sfn|Levtzion|1963|pp=349–350}}}}) was the ninth<ref>{{harvnb|Levtzion|1963|p=353}}</ref> ''[[Mansa (title)|Mansa]]'' of the [[Mali Empire]], which reached its territorial peak during his reign. Musa's reign is often regarded as the zenith of Mali's power and prestige, although he features less in [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] [[oral tradition]]s than his [[Keita dynasty|predecessors]]. 

He was exceptionally wealthy<ref name="natgeo">{{cite web | url= https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/mansa-musa-musa-i-mali | title=Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) |work= [[National Geographic]] | publisher= [[National Geographic Society]] | access-date= 6 September 2022 | archive-date=19 August 2022 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220819110054/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/mansa-musa-musa-i-mali/ | url-status=live }}</ref> to an extent that he was described as being inconceivably rich by contemporaries; ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine reported: "There's really no way to put an accurate number on his wealth."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://time.com/money/3977798/the-10-richest-people-of-all-time/|title=The 10 Richest People of All Time|author=Davidson|first=Jacob|date=July 30, 2015|magazine=Time|access-date=5 January 2017|archive-date=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824185817/http://time.com/money/3977798/the-10-richest-people-of-all-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is known from local manuscripts and travellers' accounts that Mansa Musa's wealth came principally from the Mali Empire's control and taxing of the trade in salt from [[Taghaza|northern regions]] and especially from gold panned and mined in [[Bambouk|Bambuk]] and [[Siguiri|Bure]] to the south. Over a very long period Mali had amassed a large reserve of gold. Mali is also believed to have been involved in the trade in many goods such as ivory, [[History of slavery|slaves]], spices, silks, and ceramics. However, presently little is known about the extent or mechanics of these trades.<ref name="natgeo" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Junius P. |title=The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery |date=1997 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-87436-885-7 |page= 449 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATq5_6h2AT0C&pg=RA1-PA449 |access-date=3 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> At the time of Musa's ascension to the throne, Mali consisted largely of the territory of the former [[Ghana Empire]], which had become a vassal of Mali. The Mali Empire comprised land that is now part of [[Guinea]], [[Senegal]], [[Mauritania]], [[the Gambia]], and the modern state of [[Mali]].

Musa went on [[Hajj]] to [[Mecca]] in 1324, traveling with an enormous entourage and a vast supply of gold. En route he spent time in [[Cairo]], where his lavish gift-giving is said to have noticeably affected the value of gold in Egypt and garnered the attention of the wider Muslim world. Musa expanded the borders of the Mali Empire, in particular incorporating the cities of [[Gao]] and [[Timbuktu]] into its territory. He sought closer ties with the rest of the Muslim world, particularly the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk]] and [[Marinid Sultanate]]s. He recruited scholars from the wider Muslim world to travel to Mali, such as the Andalusian poet [[al-Sahili|Abu Ishaq al-Sahili]], and helped establish Timbuktu as a center of Islamic learning. His reign is associated with numerous construction projects, including a portion of [[Djinguereber Mosque]] in Timbuktu.