Mansa Musa: the richest man in history

Mansa Musa was the richest man in history – even converting his riches to the equivalent money today. He was Emperor of Mali between 1312 and 1337, and his empire stretched across much of West Africa. His wealth came from trading copper, gold, ivory, salt and nuts. In 1324 he spent so much gold in Egypt, on the way to Makkah, that the value of gold plummeted for several years! But Mansa Musa was also passionate about education, and he built the University of Timbuktu, which had one of the largest libraries in the world.

Sadly, we in the UK don’t often learn about African or Islamic history, and this is a chance to change that. This colourful book sets out a biography of Mansa Musa in simple language, followed by quiz questions, discussion points and a glossary and pronunciation guide. Unfortunately, Mansa Musa’s dedication to education hasn’t lasted, and 92% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa never complete secondary school. Our Story Media Group have partnered with Camfed, the Campaign for Female Education, to donate a day of school for a girl for every book sold. This book is one in a series, another being about Fatima Al-Fihir, the founder of the world’s oldest university, in Fes.