When the Mali emperor Mansa Musa crossed Egypt toward Mecca around 1324, he reportedly gave away so much gold that its value collapsed across the region for roughly a decade, and he is still often called the richest human being who ever lived

When the Mali emperor Mansa Musa crossed Egypt toward Mecca around 1324, he reportedly gave away so much gold that its value collapsed across the region for roughly a decade, and he is still often called the richest human being who ever lived

One ruler passes through a city, gives away and spends enormous quantities of gold, and the metal remains unusually cheap long after he has gone. That is the popular story, at least. The ruler was Mūsā I, emperor of Mali, better known as Mansa Musa. His pilgrimage to Mecca has become one of those historical episodes repeated so often that its sharper edges have been worn smooth. Musa came to the throne around 1312. His empire occupied a powerful…