Mansa Musa (Mali Empire)

Mansa Musa was the tenth Mansa (Emperor/Sultan) of the wealthy West African Islamic Mali Empire reigned from 1312 to 1357. During his reign, Mali may have been the largest producer of gold in the world; it was at a point of exceptional demand for the commodity. He was one of the richest people in history. Mali was extremely wealthy. This was due to the tax on trade in and out of the empire, along with all the gold Mansa Musa had. Gold nuggets were the exclusive property of the mansa, and were illegal to trade within his borders. All gold was immediately handed over to the imperial treasury in return for an equal value of gold dust. Salt was as valuable, if not more valuable, than gold in sub-Saharan Africa.The Mali Empire covered a larger area for a longer period of time than any other West African state before or since. What made this possible was the decentralised nature of administration throughout the state. The Mali Empire maintained a semi-professional, full-time army in order to defend its borders. The entire nation was mobilised, with each clan obligated to provide a quota of fighting-age men. Musa was a devout Muslim, and his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 made him well known across northern Africa and the Middle East. Musa embarked on a large building program, raising mosques and madrasas in Timbuktu and Gao. Most notably, the ancient center of learning Sankore Madrasah (or University of Sankore) as wll as the great Djinguereber Mosque that still stands today was constructed during his reign. The University of Sankore in Timbuktu was restaffed under Musa's reign with jurists, astronomers, and mathematicians.The university became a center of learning and culture, drawing Muslim scholars from around Africa and the Middle East to Timbuktu.

Music :
Christopher Tin - Iza Ngomso (The Drop That Contained the Sea )
Christopher Tin - Haktan Gelen Şerbeti (The Drop That Contained the Sea )
Christopher Tin - Waloyo Yamoni (The Drop That Contained the Sea )
Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Salute to the Sun (Civilization V)
Geoff Knorr - El Helwa Di (Civilization VI)
Geoff Knorr & Michael Curran: Askia Peace Theme (Civilization V)
Raden Agung - La Ilaha Ilallah
A. R. Rahman - Abraha (Muhammad: The Messenger of God)