Forget Elon Musk, Meet Mansa Musa, the Malian King Who Is the ‘Richest Man in History’

Forget Elon Musk, Meet Mansa Musa, the Malian King Who Is the ‘Richest Man in History’

  • While Elon Musk is the richest man in the world today, historians say his fortune is nothing near the top three in history
  • Mansa Musa, the 14th-century Malian ruler, is claimed to have been the richest man in history
  • He was so wealthy that the world marvelled at his fortune, and he surrendered his gold for a bag of salt and other necessities

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

According to Bloomberg data, the top three richest men in the world as at Sunday, 16th October 2022, are Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault,Jeff Bezos, and Gautam Adani.

The report showed that Elon Musk has a total wealth of $198 billion, which is 19,144.5% of Nigeria's foreign reserves.

Despite this impressive number, Musk's wealth does not come close to Mansa Musa, a 14th-century West African ruler, whose wealth was simply “indescribable” and “incomprehensible,” by the BBC.

Read also

Tourism connects people, unifies economic activities, says Osinbajo

Mansa Musa richest man in history
Mansa Musa is considered among many historians to be the richest man ever. Photo: @mansamusa_official_/Instagram
Source: Facebook

In fact, Musk is not among the richest billionaires, if we go back in history, report claims John D. Rockefeller and Augustus Caesar are considered richer

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Who is Mansa Musa

In Mandinka, “Mansa” means sultan or emperor.

According to BBC, Musa Keita was born around 1280 CE during the Keita Dynasty.

He was born into a family of rulers and came into power in 1312 CE when his brother Mansa Abu-Bakr abdicated the throne to go on an extravagant expedition at sea.

He was already considered very wealthy by the time he ascended.

Historians estimate that the Mali Empire was at that point the largest gold producer in the world, owning more than half the world’s total supply, according to the British Museum.

Read also

Meet Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria CEO, steering the biggest telecom company in Nigeria

How rich is Mansa Musa

Some estimates put Mansa’s modern-day net worth at US$400 billion to US$500 billion, though it can be difficult to fairly calculate a fortune based on gold, salt, and land.

Many historians agree that his wealth was “richer than anyone could describe.

The day he showed the world his wealth

As a devout Muslim, Musa began his voyage to Mecca from 1324-1325, which is now referred to as the “most extravagant pilgrimage in human history”, according to Magnates Media.

Musa had the vision to get his name out to the world, and this 6,500km desert pilgrimage was the perfect opportunity to do so.

BBC reported that the king left Mali with about 60,000 men and women, from royal officials to camel drivers and slaves carrying bags of pure gold.

The journey took Musa and his companions through the Sahara desert and Egypt, reaching Cairo, where the emperor would generously splash his cash – or gold, in this case – in the capital.

Read also

2023: Atiku will hand over to Ndi Igbo, says PDP chieftain

He spent so much gold that he destabilised the local economy and caused mass inflation for 10 years after his departure.

Some of Musa's achievements

Musa made it his mission to revitalize the cities in his kingdom. Thanks to his architectural developments in the region, his reputation continued to flourish.

He also built schools, libraries, and mosques and helped Timbuktu become an epicentre for culture and education, per the BBC.

Rabiu become Nigeria's, second-richest man

Meanwhile, in another report, Nigeria now has a new number two in the list of Nigeria's richest billionaires, and he is Abdulsamad Rabiu

Rabiu unseated telecoms magnate Mike Adenuga to second place after his investments increased his account balance by N87bn in hours

Aliko Dangote remains undisputed as Nigeria's richest man and is the only Nigerian named among the world's top 400 billionaires.

Source: Legit.ng

Online view pixel