Born c. 1280

Died c. 1337

Emperor of Mali

Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali in West Africa, was the first African ruler to become widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. His was an extraordinarily wealthy land, and it enjoyed respect far and wide, while at home he oversaw a growing and highly organized realm. A devout Muslim, he helped extend the influence of Islam throughout his region, and became celebrated for his pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca, during which he stopped in the Egyptian capital of Cairo and spent so much gold that he nearly wrecked the Egyptian economy.

The empire of Mali

The modern nation called Mali (MAH-lee) is a land-locked country which, like much of Africa, suffers under extreme poverty. In the 1990s, the average yearly income there was about the same as the average weekly income in the United States. But the medieval...