Timbuktu Under Mansa Musa

Overview

After his famous 1324 hajj, Mansa Musa returned to Mali having spent enormous quantities of gold in Cairo. He invested in scholarship, bringing the architect al-Sahili to design Timbuktu's Great Mosque (Djinguereber) and laying the basis for libraries that would flourish over the next two centuries.

Historical Context

The Mali Empire was the largest in West Africa's history. Mansa Musa is sometimes described as the wealthiest individual in human history thanks to gold mined in West Africa.

What to Notice

• Mud-brick "Sudanic" architecture with protruding wooden beams.
• Camel caravans arriving from across the Sahara.
• Scholars in robes carrying Arabic manuscripts.