If someone asked you who the richest people in history were, who would you name? Perhaps a billionaire banker or corporate mogul, like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller. How about African King Musa Keita I? Ruling the Mali Empire in the 14th century CE, Mansa Musa, or the King of Kings, amassed a fortune that possibly made him one of the wealthiest people who ever lived. But his vast wealth was only one piece of his rich legacy. When Mansa Musa came to power in 1312, much of Europe was racked by famine and civil wars. But many African kingdoms and the Islamic world were flourishing, and Mansa Musa played a great role in bringing the fruits of this flourishing to his own realm. By strategically annexing the city of Timbuktu, and reestablishing power over the city of Gao, he gained control over important trade routes between the Mediterranean and the West African Coast, continuing a period of expansion, which dramatically increased Mali's size. The territory of the Mali Empire was rich in natural resources, such as gold and salt. The world first witnessed the extent of Mansa Musa's wealth in 1324 when he took his pilgrimage to Mecca. Not one to travel on a budget, he brought a caravan stretching as far as the eye could see. Accounts of this journey are mostly based on an oral testimony and differing written records, so it's difficult to determine the exact details. But what most agree on is the extravagant scale of the excursion. Chroniclers describe an entourage of tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and slaves, 500 heralds bearing gold staffs and dressed in fine silks, and many camels and horses bearing an abundance of gold bars. Stopping in cities such as Cairo, Mansa Musa is said to have spent massive quantities of gold, giving to the poor, buying souvenirs, and even having mosques built along the way. In fact, his spending may have destabilized the regional economy, causing mass inflation. This journey reportedly took over a year, and by the time Mansa Musa returned, tales of his amazing wealth had spread to the ports of the Mediterranean. Mali and its king were elevated to near legendary status, cemented by their inclusion on the 1375 Catalan Atlas. One of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe, it depicted the King holding a scepter and a gleaming gold nugget. Mansa Musa had literally put his empire and himself on the map. But material riches weren't the king's only concern. As a devout Muslim, he took a particular interest in Timbuktu, already a center of religion and learning prior to its annexation. Upon returning from his pilgrimage, he had the great Djinguereber Mosque built there with the help of an Andalusian architect. He also established a major university, further elevating the city's reputation, and attracting scholars and students from all over the Islamic world. Under Mansa Musa, the Empire became urbanized, with schools and mosques in hundreds of densely populated towns. The king's rich legacy persisted for generations and to this day, there are mausoleums, libraries and mosques that stand as a testament to this golden age of Mali's history.
如果有人問你,誰是史上最富有的人 你會想到誰的名字呢? 也許是一個有億萬家產的銀行家或 企業大亨 例如比爾蓋茲或約翰·戴維森·洛克菲勒 那非洲的國王穆薩·凱塔呢? 他是馬里帝國在14世紀執政的行政長官, 穆薩·凱塔或又稱為王中之王 他積聚的財富 足以令他成為世上最富有的人。 但是他鉅額的財富只是他留下 遺產的冰山一角 曼薩·穆薩在西元1312年取得執政權 歐洲大部分地區都因為 飢荒及內戰而飽受折磨 但許多非洲王國和伊斯蘭世界 卻是一片繁榮 曼薩·穆薩在這𥚃扮演了極為重要的角色 把繁榮果實 帶入了自己的國家。 透過戰略兼併廷巴克圖市 他也在高爾市建立了政權, 在地中海及西非海岸間 他控制了重要的貿易路線。 他不斷地擴張,極大的增加 馬里帝國的領土範圍。 馬里帝國的領土有豐富 的自然資源 盛產黃金與鹽 在他1324年前往麥加的朝聖之旅中 人們第一次見識到曼薩·穆薩富有的程度 他不計任何成本 他帶來了綿延不絕的商隊 關於這次朝聖的紀錄 大多為口耳相傳 在文獻上也有各種不同的說法 所以非常難確定具體的細節。 但大家大都贊同這是奢華之旅, 歷史學者描述有大量隨從參與這次朝聖, 包括了數萬名軍人、 平民 及奴隸, 500名使者帶著金製權杖,穿著絲製服裝, 許多的駱駝與馬身上 背負著大量的金條, 他們沿途在開羅等城市停留, 根據記載,他把大量金子用來 救濟窮人、購買紀念品, 甚至沿途修建清真寺。 事實上,他這大肆出資的舉動,很 可能使當地經濟動盪 造成嚴重的通貨膨脹。 據說這次朝聖之旅歷時超過一年, 當他回來國之後 他那財富驚人的故事 早已傳遍了地中海各地 而馬里帝國於1375被納入加泰羅尼亞地圖, 則鞏固了這一個傳奇。 加泰羅尼亞地圖是中世紀歐洲, 最為重要的世界地圖之一 這張地圖描繪了曼薩·穆薩一手持權杖 一手托著閃閃發亮的金塊的場景 曼薩·穆薩真的將馬里帝國及他 本人放進了地圖 但是曼薩·穆薩不只追求物質 上的富裕 他是一位虔誠的穆斯林 很關心廷巴克圖地區 在被併吞之前,廷巴可圖已是西非 的文化和學術中心 在完成了朝聖之旅後 曼薩·穆薩立刻在廷巴克圖修建了 津蓋瑞伯清真寺 這一座清真寺由來自安達盧西亞的 建築家所設計 他還建立了一所知名大學 進一步提升了城市的知名度 吸引來自伊斯蘭世界各地的學生與學者 在曼薩·穆薩的領導下 帝國變得都市化 帝國中有學校和清真寺 以及數百個人口稠密的城鎮 國王豐富的遺產持續了幾代人 今天,有陵墓、圖書館及清真寺 成為馬里帝國歷史中黃金時代的佐證