ABSTRACT
Devout Islamic king (r. 1312–1337) of the West African empire of Mali, the world’s second largest empire (after the Mongol Empire) at the time. During his 25 years of rule, Mansa Musa transformed Mali into a flourishing center of Islamic learning and trans-Saharan commerce. His hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, in 1324 became legendary for his enormous retinue and the astonishing amount of gold he distributed. That pilgrimage brought Mali to the attention of Egypt and the Middle East as well as Europe, invigorating its economy through increased trade and attracting learned scholars from the Christian and Islamic worlds.
