← The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo History
Mansa Musa's Hajj: The Gold That Crashed Egypt artwork

Mansa Musa's Hajj: The Gold That Crashed Egypt

The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo History
S6 E26106:05
Play episode

Show notes

We often hear that Mansa Musa was incredibly wealthy, but the true scale of his impact is found not in Mali itself, but in Cairo during his 1324 pilgrimage. We explore how a single caravan carrying perhaps sixty tons of pure gold flooded the Egyptian market, causing inflation that took over a decade to resolve. Through the accounts of Arab historians like al-Umari and Ibn Battuta, we examine the economic shockwaves that rippled across the Mediterranean. This episode moves beyond the legend of 'riches' to look at the concrete mechanics of currency devaluation, the Mamluk response, and how one king’s piety inadvertently reshaped the global economy of the fourteenth century. #MansaMusa #MaliEmpire #GoldInflation #CairoHistory #MamlukSultanate #IslamicPilgrimage #Hajj1324 #AlUmari #IbnBattuta #WestAfricanHistory #MedievalEconomy #DinarAndDrachma #TradeRoutes #TimbuktuScholars #NorthAfrica #HistoricalEconomics #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

More from this show

More
  1. Mali’s Royal Court: The Kora Players and Oral Tradition

    We step away from the gold coins and political treaties to look at Mali’s cultural heartbeat. This episode explores the role of the jeliw, or griots, who served as the living libra…

    S6 E26208:15
  2. Mansa Sakura's Rebellion and the Fall of Mali

    We trace the dramatic rise and violent end of Mansa Sakura, the former Wangara merchant who seized the Malian throne through a daring coup against his predecessor. While previous e…

    S6 E26010:58
  3. Mali's Lost Kings: The Mystery of Mansa Sul

    While history remembers Mansa Musa as the wealthiest man in human history, his legacy was nearly erased by the silence that followed his death. This episode explores the turbulent…

    S6 E25907:24
  4. Mansa Musa's Hajj: The Gold That Crashed Egypt

    We’ve covered the Kouroukan Fouga and the rise of the Wangara traders, but this episode zooms in on the single event that put Mali on the global map: Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mec…

    S6 E25808:28
  5. Mali's Lost Cities: Gao and the Songhai Transition

    While Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Cairo dominates popular memory, the Mali Empire’s true strength lay in its complex urban networks and military logistics along the Niger River. Thi…

    S6 E25710:58
  6. Mali's Lost Cities: Gao and the Songhai Transition

    While Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Cairo is well-known, Mali’s eastern frontier tells a different story of gradual power shifts. This episode explores the rise of Gao as a critical t…

    S6 E25609:52
Now Playing
The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo History — Mansa Musa's Hajj: The Gold That Crashed Egypt | Podcast | Josplay Music