Mali Empire History: The Richest Kingdom in History
Share
Mansa Musa is the richest person who ever lived. His wealth — estimated at $400 billion in today's money — came from the Mali Empire, which he ruled in the 14th century. When he made his famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, he brought so much gold that he crashed the gold market in Egypt and North Africa for a decade.
This is African history. This is the history that Afropop Socks celebrates.
The Origins of the Mali Empire
The Mali Empire was founded by Sundiata Keita around 1235 CE. Sundiata defeated the Sosso king Sumanguru Kante at the Battle of Kirina and united the Mandinka people of West Africa. His story is told in the Sundiata Epic — one of the greatest oral histories in the world.
The Mali Empire grew to control the gold and salt trade routes across West Africa. At its peak, it covered an area larger than Western Europe, with a population of over 20 million people.
Mansa Musa and the Golden Age
The Mali Empire reached its peak under Mansa Musa I, who ruled from 1312 to 1337. He was the tenth Mansa (emperor) of the Mali Empire and is considered the wealthiest person in history.
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 is one of the most remarkable journeys in history. He travelled with an entourage of 60,000 people, including 12,000 enslaved people, each carrying 1.8 kilograms of gold. He distributed so much gold along the way that he caused inflation in Egypt, Arabia, and Persia for over a decade.
Timbuktu — The City of Knowledge
Under Mansa Musa, Timbuktu became one of the greatest centres of learning in the world. The University of Sankore had 25,000 students — more than the University of Oxford at the same time. Scholars came from across the Islamic world to study theology, law, history, and science.
The Mali Empire produced some of the greatest scholars, architects, and artists of the medieval world. This is the heritage that Afropop Socks celebrates.
Mali Empire Heritage at Afropop Socks
The Afropop Socks Pan-African and African heritage collections celebrate the legacy of the Mali Empire and the great kingdoms of West Africa. Every pair comes with a cultural story card.
When you wear Afropop Socks, you're wearing the heritage of the richest empire in history.
Wear your cultural heritage every day.
Shop Afropop Socks — From £8 →
Stocked at Smithsonian NMAAHC · Tate Modern · V&A Museum · MoMA
About the Author
Isaac Prempeh is the founder of Afropop Socks and a British-Ghanaian entrepreneur based in London. He grew up in a Ghanaian family surrounded by Kente cloth and Adinkra symbols and founded Afropop Socks in 2019 to bring African cultural heritage into everyday fashion. Afropop Socks is now stocked at the Smithsonian NMAAHC, Tate Modern, V&A Museum, Natural History Museum, Barbican Centre, Selfridges, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and MoMA New York.
Isaac writes from personal experience of Ghanaian and British-African heritage. All cultural information in this article has been verified against academic sources.