Mansa Musa
منسا موسى
c. 1337 CE · c. 737 AH
The most famous and greatest of Mali's kings, who reigned about a quarter of a century and made the hajj in 724 AH in a procession of over twelve thousand attendants clad in brocade and Yemeni silk, his largesse and the breadth of his realm becoming proverbial across the Maghreb, Egypt and the East; he exchanged gifts with the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hasan, among them the giraffe that the Maghreb talked about for an age.
At a glance
- Roles
- Ruler
- Counted among
- Sunni
- Era
- The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
- Region
- West Africa & Sahel
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Mansa Musa, one of the kings of the Mali empire, the most famous of them according to Ibn Khaldun. He ruled for about a quarter of a century and was succeeded by Mari Jata. 1
The pilgrimage
He made the pilgrimage in 724 AH with a procession whose attendants numbered more than twelve thousand, clothed in brocade and Yemeni silk. The news of his generosity and the breadth of his realm in the Maghrib, Egypt and the East spread after that. 1
He exchanged gifts with the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hasan, and among what he sent was a giraffe, which the people of the Maghrib talked about for a long time. 1
His death
Ibn Khaldun says that he died twenty-five years after he became king. The year of death is probably between 737 and 739 AH, and needs an additional source.
Connections
- Ruler of
- Mali Empire
- Successor of
- Mari Jata (Sundiata Keita)
- Predecessor of
- Mansa Sulayman
- Participated in
- The hajj of Mansa Musa
People and things also explored
Mali Empire· Mansa Sulayman· Mari Jata (Sundiata Keita)· Ghana Empire· The hajj of Mansa Musa
Sources
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Mansa Musa”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/mansa-musa/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.