King Mansa Musa I (Emperor Moses) was a crucial Malian king, ruling from 1312 to 1337 and expanding the Mali influence over the Niger city-states of Timbuktu, Gao, and Djenne.
Musa ruled the Mali Empire and was estimated to possess been well worth the equivalent of $400 billion in today’s currency, which makes him the richest man to ever walk this earth. The emperor was a master businessman and economist and gained his wealth through Mali’s supply of gold, salt, and ivory, the primary commodities for many of the planets during that point.
Musa maintained an enormous army that kept the peace and policed the trade routes for his businesses. His troops pushed the borders of Mali from the Atlantic Coast within the west; beyond the cities of Timbuktu and Gao within the east; and from the salt mines of Taghaza within the north to the gold mines of Wangar within the south.
Musa was also a severe influence on the University of Timbuktu, the planet’s first university and therefore, the primary learning institution for not just Africa but the world. Timbuktu became a gathering place of poets, scholars, and artists of Africa and hence, the Middle East. Even after Mali declined, Timbuktu remained the primary learning center of Africa for several years.
