The Richest Man in History Was African : Mansa Musa || Untold Africa

Описание: One of the richest individuals in recorded history was not a modern billionaire.

He was an African emperor.

In this episode of Untold Africa, a Masterminds documentary series, we explore the extraordinary true story of Mansa Musa, the 14th-century Emperor of Mali, the man who controlled nearly half of the world’s gold.

In 1324, his pilgrimage to Mecca shocked the global economy. His generosity in Cairo caused gold prices to collapse for years. European cartographers redrew their maps. Africa was no longer a blank space, it was a center of power.

But Mansa Musa’s legacy was not just wealth.

He transformed gold into knowledge.
He built mosques.
He funded libraries.
He elevated Timbuktu into one of the greatest centers of learning in the medieval world.

This episode of Untold Africa challenges the narrative that Africa’s greatness is recent or borrowed. Long before modern empires, the Mali Empire stood as a global economic and intellectual force.

This is Untold Africa, where we explore the leaders, ideas, and moments that shaped Africa’s rise.

And remember…

You come from greatness.

References:

Levtzion, Nehemia & Hopkins, J.F.P. (2000). Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History.
Ibn Khaldun, Kitab al-‘Ibar
Al-Umari accounts of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage (14th century Cairo records)
The Catalan Atlas (1375)
Hunwick, John O. (1999). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire.
National Geographic Historical Profiles – Mansa Musa
UNESCO Archives on Timbuktu Manuscripts