Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali

by P. James Oliver

  In spite of the desert’s heat, its barren terrain, and its apparent endlessness, at the end of each day’s travel, every member of the caravan received an elaborately prepared meal, compliments of the Mansa and his large corps of excellent cooks. These incredible meals were served at each stopping place along the entire route from Mali to Mecca. After the meal and perhaps some entertainment, the travelers slept.

  The next day, fed and rested, the caravan filed out across the desert until it became, once again, a long slender “creature” that crept across the desert at human walking speed. Many hours later, tired and hungry, it would scrunch up, have another elaborate meal, and sleep. In this way, day after day after day, the caravan slowly crept across the mighty Sahara, a perilous expanse of dry, barren land that is almost as large as the entire United States of America.

  Sahara Desert: about 3,500,000 sq. miles

  United States: 3,618,276 sq. miles

  (all 50 states).

  Chapter 9

  A LASTING IMPRESSION

  “THERE’S CAIRO!” AMID SHOUTS OF EXCITEMENT, the travelers jumped to their feet and peered out across the desert. In the evening, the city hadn’t been visible, but now, with the pre-dawn sun lighting the sky behind it, they could just make out the city’s skyline. Its solid black silhouette was framed by a delicate pink and yellow glow. It was a beautiful sight. A few minutes later, the brilliance of the rising sun hid the city from view.

  That glimpse of Cairo filled the Mansa with excitement. Finally, the first long leg of his journey was almost over. Soon he would be inside the great city of Cairo, a city few of Mali’s people had seen, but that almost all of them had heard about from the traders. By the time he actually entered the city, his excitement had become intense.

  Magnificently dressed and surrounded by the splendor of his caravan, Mansa Kankan Musa, Emperor of Mali, entered the city’s majestic western gate and rode into Cairo. Almost automatically, a lane opened down the middle of the crowded street. People stopped whatever they were doing and stared in amazement at the incredibly spectacular leader of some unknown land who was riding slowly down their street. Directly in front of him marched a company of 500 colorfully dressed men, each of whom carried an ornamental staff made of gold. Stretched out behind him was an enormous, well-guarded caravan that dazzled every eye with its incredible display of gold and silver, gleaming jewels, and richly colored fabrics.

  The excited voices of the people out in the street attracted the attention of those in the shops and buildings along the way. Hurrying outside, they, too, shouted and stared in amazement. Even the Egyptian official responsible for meeting incoming caravans exclaimed, “In all my life, I’ve never seen anything like this. Why, this caravan competes in glittering glory with the African sun itself!”7

  The Mosque of an-Nasir Muhammad, under construction during the Mansa’s visit to Cairo, is still standing within the walls of the Citadel.

  After the long months the Mansa had spent crossing the vast open spaces of the Sahara, the sudden whirl of big city sights, sounds, crowds, colors, commotion and attention was exhilarating. He had planned to rest, to bathe in clear, scented water, and to sip cool drinks as soon as he reached Cairo, but with all the excitement surrounding his arrival, his desire to rest vanished. All he wanted now was to revel in the sights and sounds and wonders of this great city.

  Cairo was a large, vibrant city. Nearly a million people lived there, and many more came to study under its teachers, trade in its famous markets, and visit its superb libraries, mosques, hospitals, and observatories. Tourists came to see the pyramids, its ancient works of art, the Nile River, and the gleaming marble Citadel whose thick walls protected the Sultan’s palace.

  Building Cairo’s Citadel

  All those doing the hard labor—sizing the marble, cutting the huge shaft through solid rock, and cutting away (by hand with pickaxes) tons of rock from the base of the Citadel’s exterior walls—were Christian Europeans. Captured during the Crusades, these prisoners of war, used as forced laborers, were so numerous their “numbers were beyond computation.”8

  Soon after the Mansa’s arrival, the Sultan of Egypt held a grand celebration to welcome him. However, when the Mansa arrived at the sultan’s palace and was told that all guests of the sultan were expected to kiss the sultan’s hand or the ground before his throne, he refused. “How can it be that I am being asked to pay homage to a man?” he asked. “Am I not on my pilgrimage? I’ve come to praise Allah, and only Allah!” Also, although he was too polite to say so, he knew that his empire was larger than the sultan’s, and that his wealth in terms of gold was far greater.

  Finally, a wise member of the Mansa’s court suggested that the Mansa kiss the ground in praise of Allah, the creator of all things. After the Mansa did so, the Sultan of Egypt stood up and invited the Emperor of Mali to come forward and sit beside him. Once they were seated, the two men had a long and friendly conversation. Although the Mansa usually chose to use an interpreter, he spoke Arabic fluently. At the end of the celebration, the sultan gave the Mansa many fine gifts and graciously provided a place for him, and his entire caravan, to stay while they were in Cairo.

  For three months they rested and waited for the worst heat of summer to pass. During these months, the people of Cairo learned who Mansa Musa was and where he’d come from. They saw the dignity with which he conducted himself and observed the exemplary behavior of his followers. They heard about his trustworthiness, his devotion to his pilgrimage, and the size and power of his empire. They saw the respect with which his followers, and their own sultan, treated him. Most exciting and talked about, though, were his striking style of dress and his incredible generosity.

  Everywhere he went during his stay in Cairo, the Mansa gave away gold. He gave it away as gifts, distributed it as alms, and spent it generously in the marketplace. In fact, he gave away so much gold that the price of gold in and around the city dropped dramatically and stayed well below normal for more than twelve years!

  Stories about his amazing generosity flew around Cairo. Almost as popular were the stories about Mali’s stupendous supply of gold, the splendor and immensity of its royal caravan, and the incredibly magnificent emperor who wore those wonderfully wide, vibrantly colored pants.

  People loved these stories. They marveled in amazement when they heard them and reveled in their glory when they told them. For centuries, these stories were told and retold until they became almost like legends.

  Chapter 10

  “WE MADE IT – PRAISE BE TO ALLAH”

  RESTED AND EAGER TO CONTINUE HIS JOURNEY, the Mansa left Cairo. There were still close to 1,000 miles of dry, rugged land to cross before he would reach Mecca, and since the religious observances he was traveling so far to participate in were only held once a year, he had to get there on time.

  Soon after leaving Cairo, the Mansa and his caravan were in the desert again—the long, narrow, flat, gravelly desert that lies between the Nile River and the Red Sea. A few days later they reached the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez. Here, where the sand and rock of the desert meet the sandy shore of the gulf, they stepped out of Africa and into Asia.

  Before them lay the Sinai Peninsula, a devastatingly barren triangle of land wedged between Africa and the enormous bulk of Asia. Far to the south, tall, rocky mountains reached into the sky, and far to the north, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea lapped against the coast. From where he rode, however, all the Mansa could see was sand, gravel, and a huge, arid, rocky plateau. This is such a frighteningly dry place that when Moses led his people into the Sinai, they threatened to revolt and return to the misery of slavery rather than face such desolation and what looked like certain starvation.

  At the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, the route to Mecca from Africa merged with the route from Europe and Asia. This was also where the Mansa and his caravan turned south and faced Mecca. Like all Muslims, the Mansa turned to face Mecca every time he knelt to pray. From here on, he woul
d face Mecca all day long as he traveled, and this fact pleased him. So did the fact that they were getting close—only 800 more miles!

  After the African and European-Asian routes merged, the Mansa saw people from places very unlike Mali. Never before had he seen or imagined such a variety of clothing, headgear, skin colors, or languages. All these people, from so many different lands, were also pilgrims on their way to Mecca. It was fascinating and exciting and rather humbling, somehow.

  Like most of the pilgrims he saw along the way, the Mansa visited Medina. The city of Medina, whose name means “City of the Prophet,” was named in honor of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim religion.

  Muhammad was born into a well-respected family in or around 570 A.D., but he was soon orphaned. Though he lived most of his life in Mecca, he fled to Medina when he was about fifty years old because the merchants of Mecca had turned against him for speaking out against idol worship. For many years, these merchants had made a lot of money selling goods to the crowds that flocked to Mecca to worship in front of the many idols housed there, and they did not want their very profitable businesses ruined. So, when Muhammad refused to stop speaking out against idol worship, the merchants became so angry they threatened to kill him.

  While still living in Mecca, Muhammad had a vision in which the angel Gabriel instructed him to go forth and “recite” in the name of Allah. Though terrified at first, Muhammad later became convinced that he had in fact been called by God to be His messenger. Upon many occasions over the next decade or more, Muhammad recited (spoke aloud) the words he “found in his heart,” believing them to be from God. These revelations, and not Muhammad’s everyday utterances, were remembered and recorded in the Koran, which Muslims believe to be the Word of God.

  After fleeing to Medina, Muhammad continued teaching and preaching that Allah is the one and only God. At times, without willing it, he would fall into a trance and a torrent of rhythmic prose would flow from his lips. The people of Medina listened to him, and many of them came to believe that he truly was a prophet of Allah.

  In addition to accepting him as a prophet, the people of Medina made him their governor. While serving as the city’s governor, Muhammad worked hard to promote social justice and to establish peace within Medina. His conflict with Mecca, however, developed into a series of armed conflicts between his followers in Medina and the people of Mecca, which led to an intercity war.

  After three years of intermittent, bloody battles, Mecca was defeated. Thus, only eight years after fleeing Mecca, Muhammad returned with a great many followers and destroyed all the pagan idols housed there. Contrary to the mores of his culture, Muhammad did not carry out a bloody revenge against the people of Mecca. Instead, following his victory, he established Mecca—the site of the Kaaba*, the Mount of Mercy, and other sites important to Muslims—as the religious capital of Islam. Medina remained its political capital.

  Only two and one-half years after his triumphant return to Mecca, Muhammad died. His body was enshrined in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

  Like most Muslim pilgrims who visit Medina, the Mansa went to the Prophet’s Mosque to pray in front of Muhammad’s tomb. He also visited other mosques and shrines, enjoyed long conversations with some of the Muslim scholars he met there, and gave away a lot more gold.

  When he left Medina for Mecca, the Mansa followed much the same route Muhammad had taken. After traveling south about 240 miles, the Mansa stopped atop the dry, rugged hills that surround Mecca. Looking back, he could see only segments of his caravan—a glittering band of bright colors stretched across a hillside here, another segment climbing up through a draw there. Little plant life grew on these stark hills, so even the more distant portions of his caravan were easy to see.

  Suddenly he heard people shouting. “There it is!” “There’s Mecca!” Turning around quickly, he rode forward, slid off his horse, and ran to join the excited people looking down at Mecca. Mecca! He’d dreamt of Mecca for so long. Now, standing there, lightheaded with joy and amazement, he felt exhilarated, and also deeply grateful.

  “We made it! Praise be to Allah!” he exclaimed. Far below him, like the bull’s-eye of a giant target, he could see the Kaaba. Around the Kaaba, the spacious courtyard of the Great Mosque lay smooth and inviting. Surrounding the courtyard was a tall white wall whose stately arches welcomed pilgrims from every direction. Beyond the wall stood the city of Mecca. Around the city, thousands of pilgrims had already pitched their tents. Beyond the thick ring of tents, a barren plain stretched to the foot of the brown hills that encircled the city. Teary-eyed, the Mansa looked down in wonder.

  Before entering Mecca, pilgrims cleanse themselves and dress in seamless garments. In recognition of the facts that all people are equal before God and that many nomadic peoples did not have tailors, all men wore a simple garment consisting of two lengths of white cloth. Women traditionally wore long robes.

  Chapter 11

  THE HAJJ

  “Know ye that every Muslim is a brother unto every other Muslim, and that ye are now one brotherhood.”

  From Muhammad’s Farewell Sermon

  FOR THE TWELVE DAYS OF HIS PILGRIMAGE, the Mansa wore a plain, seamless, white garment identical to that worn by every other man.* Like them, he could not wear jewelry or other decorations, become involved in an argument or dispute, have sexual relations, or harm any living thing. With them, he would participate in the prayers, rituals, and celebrations of his pilgrimage, so that during these twelve wonderful days, he would be a brother to, instead of a ruler over, other men and women.

  When he walked into the Great Mosque to participate in the first ritual of his pilgrimage, he was immediately absorbed by the crowd. He moved with it and became part of it. He forgot everything except the Kaaba, the sacred Black Stone, and the prayers being said. During the days that followed, he participated fully and joyfully in all the events of his pilgrimage.

  Following the climactic ninth day’s “Greater Pilgrimage” on the Mount of Mercy, during which each pilgrim “stands before Allah” from noon until dusk, the Mansa spent the night in the open with all the other pilgrims. For the next three days they feasted. After the feasting, he returned to the courtyard of the Great Mosque and walked slowly around the Kaaba, then bent to kiss the sacred Black Stone one more time.

  The Mansa was a hajji now. Hajji is the title given people who have completed their pilgrimage to Mecca. For the devout Muslim, there is no greater joy on earth.

  After completing his pilgrimage, the Mansa stayed in Mecca to pray and to talk with many of the scholars he’d met there. Because only Muslims were allowed to enter Mecca, all the scholars were Muslims. Similarly, because only men could gather in public places, they were all men. In all other ways, however, they were a diverse group with wide-ranging interests and a rich variety of backgrounds, professions and homelands. Because the Mansa was also an educated man with many interests and talents, they welcomed him and listened to him with respect.

  During these long and stimulating conversations, the Mansa learned a lot that was new to him about his religion, especially, but also about architecture, astronomy, law and agriculture. He heard about places, peoples, and forms of government that he had known little or nothing about. He went sightseeing, gave away a lot more gold, and spent time in prayer and meditation. His days were leisurely but full.

  Happy and at peace, he wanted to stay in Mecca and make it his home, but he knew that his son, who was serving as Mali’s emperor during his absence, was inexperienced and, according to the reports he’d been receiving, a weak and ineffective leader. Therefore, the Mansa felt he should return to Mali at least long enough to see for himself how well his son could govern. While he was trying to decide whether to return to Mali or stay in Mecca, a hard-riding messenger galloped into camp. Though exhausted, the messenger was immediately brought before the Mansa. Casting himself face-down upon the ground, as was the custom when addressing the emperor, he gasped, “Your Majes
ty, your army is engaged in combat with the Kingdom of Songhai!”

  After announcing his news, the messenger was taken away and given water and food. A few hours later, the Mansa questioned him thoroughly in order to learn all he could about his army, the conflict, and the strategies of his commanding officers.

  Early the next morning, the Mansa sent for his Chief Steward. “Prepare the caravan for travel,” he ordered. “We are leaving Mecca.” He had decided to return to Mali, assess the state of affairs there and in Songhai, and to initiate the projects he’d started thinking about during his long talks with the scholars. Then, if all went well in Mali, he could return to Mecca.

  While the caravan was being prepared, he went into Mecca and invited some of the scholars to return to Mali with him. Several of them accepted his invitation. The most influential among them was a Moorish poet and architect from Granada, Abu Ishāq as-Sāhilī. As-Sāhilī, who was often referred to simply as “the Moor,” and the Mansa had become good friends. So, when the Mansa found the Moor that day, he asked him with obvious eagerness, “Will you return to Mali with me? I need a man with your talents to help me make my dreams for Mali come true.”

  The Moor smiled and replied, “Your Majesty, I shall be honored to return with you and to help in any way I am able.”

  In addition to the scholars, the Mansa asked that some shurafā—descendants of the Prophet—accompany him back to Mali so that his people would be blessed whenever they saw them and the land blessed by their footprints. After a considerable amount of negotiation with the Grand Sharif of Mecca, four shurafā and their families decided to join the caravan and move to Mali.

  Quickly and efficiently the Mansa’s staff prepared the caravan for travel. So, within just a few days of his decision to return to Mali, the Mansa, his caravan, the scholars, and the shurafā left Mecca. They would go to Cairo first, purchase great quantities of supplies there, and then begin the long, grueling journey back across the Sahara.