When we talk about people who are considered the richest one’s ever in the world, we usually think about Warren Buffet, John D. Rockefeller, or Bill Gates. However, there is a small percentage of people who thought about a certain African king, Mansa Musa I of Mali. He was the King of the Kingdom of Mali that was located in Western Africa. He was the ruler of his country back in the 14th century. Almost all historians are agreeing that his wealth can’t be described.
However, there are some people who are telling the story of his wealth is equal to today worth $400 billion. With this information, we know that he is the wealthiest man in history. For example, the richest person today, Carlos Slim, a Mexican businessman is on the 22nd place in history, with his $68 billion. If you are interested in learning more about Mansa Musa, his life and his net worth, stay with us for a couple of minutes. Without wasting too much of your time, let us start with our article.
Who Was Mansa Musa?
Mansa Musa was born in 1280. In the early 1300s, Mansa Musa I was the ruler of the Mali Empire, which was located in Western Africa. The capital of the Mali Empire was Niani. Today, this city is located in Guinea. He came to the throne when he was appointed as the successor of Abubakari II who was missing when he was on an expedition. He had several titles under his name like Conqueror of Ghanata, Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara. His wealth was created by him exploiting gold and salt production in his country. According to some historical sources, his country was responsible for half of the world’s gold and salt production.
Therefore, the natural resources of his country were the main source of his wealth. He was very devoted to Islam, and he built a lot of mosques that still stand today. The most popular building he built is the University of Sankore or Sankore Madrasah. In 1324, he went on a pilgrimage to Meca, along with 60,000 of his men and 12,000 slaves. Every man was carrying four pounds of gold bars. He died in 1332, and his descendants did have his skills to preserve the country and its wealth. According to some scholars from the Arab world, he died in 1337. They were under constant attack from their enemies until the country ultimately collapsed.
Net Worth
In today’s value, Mansa Musa net worth would be around $400 billion, which makes him the wealthiest person in the world by far. After him, on this list, we can see John D. Rockefeller with his $340 billion, and Andrew Carnegie’ $310 billion. People who are on the Forbes list today can come even close to these people. Carlos Slim, the richest person in the world, would be placed on the 22\nd place on the list of the wealthiest people of all time.