MANSA MUSA'S PILGREMAGE

MANSA MUSA AND THE MALI EMPIRE

• Mansa musa was an African emperor and devout Muslim
• He brought great wealth with him on his haji to Mecca
• He spent so much gold in Egypt that Egypts market took 12 years to recover

PURPOSE OF THE JOURNEY

• It was a pilgrimage or haji to Mecca
• Some believe that mansa just wanted to show off his wealth
• His haji could have been a political move to keep him in power by showing he was devout.

TIMBUKTU

• Mansa passed through Timbuktu on his return journey from Mecca
• He built a mosque, one of the famous three in Timbuktu
• Wealth and prosperity followed after mansa passed through for a short time

CAIRO

• While in Cairo Musa's people spent so much gold the gold value plummeted
• Musa didn't want to stop in Cairo but his advisors told him it would be a good political move
• When musa left Cairo the economy there wasn't stable for 7 years

MECCA

• Mansa musa made it to Mecca on his haji
• By the time he made it to Mecca even he was low on money
• He had to borrow money from Egypt on his return trip from Mecca
• Not all of Musa's entourage made it to Mecca and back.
• His pilgrimage to Mecca put a lot of speculation on Islam and created new converts

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