Problem
Instructions: Mansa Musa was known for his extravagant wealth and spending. Today you will be examining a variety of primary and secondary sources to determine if Mansa Musa was the richest person in history.
Document 1: The following is an excerpt from a blog post that appeared in The Huffington Post on October 17, 2012. It describes a study on the wealthiest people in world history done by Brian Warner, the founder of Celebrity Net Worth, an online publication that investigates the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Mansa Musa of Mali Named World's Richest Man of All Time; Bill Gates and Warren Buffet Also Make List
You've probably never heard of him, but Mansa Musa is the richest person ever. The 14th century emperor from West Africa was worth a staggering $400 billion, after adjusting for inflation, as calculated by Celebrity Net Worth. To put that number into perspective - Net Worth's calculations mean Musa's fortune far outstrips that of the current world's richest man.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, when Musa died sometime in the 1330s, he left behind an empire filled with palaces and mosques, some of which still stand today. But the emperor really turned historic heads for the over-the-top extravagances of his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca.
The trip, which he embarked upon during the 17th year of the monarch's glittering reign, was hosted by the leaders of both Mecca and Cairo and apparently was so brilliant, it "almost put Africa's sun to shame."
Musa's wealth was a result of his country's vast natural resources. The West African nation was responsible for more than half of the world's salt and gold supply, according to Net Worth.
• What claim does the article make? What evidence does the author use to back up that claim?
• Is the blog post trustworthy? Why or why not?
Document 2: Ibn Battuta traveled all over the Muslim world throughout the 1300s. He wrote down what he saw in Rihla ("Journey"), a compilation book of his travels. Below is an observation from Ibn Battuta about Mansa Musa.
When the emperor of Mali appears in public, he puts on a splendid show. One day, I watched him leave his palace. First came many musicians playing gold and silver two-stringed guitars. Then came the emperor wearing a red velvet coat and drums sounded while he climbed a platform to his throne.
I was told about the great emperor Mansa Musa, who lived about 50 years ago. He was a ruler of tremendous power and style. When he traveled to Mecca in 1324, he was escorted by 60,000 soldiers and 500 slaves. Each slave carried a bar of gold weighing four pounds. If Mansa Musa had wanted to, he could have bought whole kingdoms as he traveled.
• How did Musa demonstrate his wealth?
• Is Ibn Battuta a trustworthy source? Why or why not?
Document 3: Al-Umari was an Arab historian from Syria. He visited the city of Cairo in Egypt several years after Mansa Musa passed through there on his pilgrimage in 1324 CE. He then wrote this account of Mansa Musa's visit, as told to him by the people of Cairo.
From the beginning of my coming to stay in Egypt I heard talk of the arrival of this sultan Musa on his Pilgrimage and found the people of Cairo eager to tell what they had seen of the Africans' extravagant spending.
One man said, "When I went out to meet him, Musa did me extreme honor and treated me with the greatest courtesy. He addressed me, however, only through an interpreter despite his perfect ability to speak my language. Then he sent to the royal treasury many loads of unworked native gold and other valuables.
I tried to persuade him to go meet the sultan of Cairo, but he refused persistently saying: ‘I came for the Pilgrimage and nothing else. I do not wish to mix anything else with my Pilgrimage.'"
Mansa Musa flooded Cairo with his gifts. He left no holder of a royal office without the gift of a load of gold. The people of Cairo made incalculable profits out of him and his caravan in buying and selling and giving and taking.
• How did Musa demonstrate his wealth in Cairo?
• Is Al-Umari a trustworthy source? Why or why not?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.