Mansa Musa's hajj puts Mali on the map
The Mali emperor's pilgrimage to Mecca, with a caravan of gold and followers, was so lavish that it depressed gold prices in Egypt for years.
Why it matters
The hajj announced West Africa's integration into a hemispheric economy — Mali appears, drawn with a crowned king holding a gold nugget, on the European maps that followed. Wealth, like information, moves along networks.
People
Mansa Musa
Related events
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica — Mansa Musa