Noble Blood - Mansa Musa and the World Map

Episode Date: November 8, 2022

Mansa Musa is often considered to be the richest man who ever lived. And, in the 14th century, he set out on a hajj to show his wealth and power to the world. Support Noble Blood: — Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon — Merch! — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and pre-order its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.

But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, The cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of IHeart Radio and grim and mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Hey guys, this is Dana Schwartz, the host of the podcast Noble Blood. First, just thank you so much for listening. before the episode, just a few quick announcements. I have a book coming out in February called Immortality, A Love Story. It's a sequel to my last book, Anatomy, A Love Story, which is about a young woman who's a surgeon in 1800, Scotland,

and if you like this podcast, I really think you would like it. Check it out, and please, if you're at all interested, pre-order Immortality, a Love Story. All the links are in the episode description, along with links to official Noble Blood merch, and the Noble Blood Patreon where I post episode scripts and have access to monthly bonus episodes. But as always, the best support is just listening to the show. I am so grateful we've officially made 100 episodes of this show, and it just feels so surreal.

So thank you so much for your interest in history and for joining me on this journey, and let's do 100 more. In July of the year 1324, the citizens of Kyrgyz, were waiting. For weeks, conversation in the city had been dominated by the imminent arrival of one man, though by this point, man, heartily seemed inadequate enough term to encompass a figure as impressive as the fabled Malian Sultan, Mansa Musa. Tales of his exploits had started as simple rumor, singular whispers carried over desert roads by merchants and scholars. Each story eventually stitched together in ports of trade until their subject became more myth than man. He was said

to be passing through Cairo on his way to complete Haj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca as required by the Islamic faith. This typically would have been news enough, though oddly, speculation surrounding his arrival had much less to do with his destination and more to do with the methods in which he decided to travel. Had you been walking through Cairo's marketplace that summer, as you examined the countless wares from all over the continent or even beyond, each vendor likely would have regaled you with their own sliver of gossip that they had gleaned from their time on the road. I hear he travels with 10,000 men, one of the vendors might have said, only for another merchant across the way to cut in. Ten? No, I heard it was at least 50, if not 60,000.

To others, the size of his party likely mattered little compared to the treasures said to have made the trip along with him. Upwards of 80 camels were rumored to have been brought for the sole purpose of transporting a combined total of 17 tons or over 34,000 pounds of gold. This, of course, was in addition to the 500 enslaved workers who were each tasked with carrying a gold staff for the duration of the over 4,000 mile trek from Mali on the western coast of Africa to Mecca in what is today Saudi Arabia. Now, when considering the vast distance Monsa Moussa had to travel in order to complete the haj, it makes sense that he and his party would need ample resources and manpower to reach their destination.

But at the same time, you can hardly reason that the transport of 80 camel loads of gold and 60,000 men were for the sole purpose of practicality. And just as the resources Musa acquired for his journey were not necessary, necessarily essential to complete the journey, if the whispers in the streets of Cairo were anything to go by, his haj was likely not the sole reason for his pilgrimage across the African continent. Religious piety may have been the impetus for his travels, but it's clear through the level of extravagance by which he chose to travel that Mansamusa's much-anticipated stay in Cairo had one goal above all else. He wanted to make a statement. And so as the iconic red silk banners of

Monsamusa's caravan finally crested the western horizon, the citizens of Cairo waited with bated breath and a gold-hungry glint in their eyes to see exactly what type of statement he would make. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. Now, before we get started, I want to take a moment to speak to the importance of oral histories in the African tradition. Today, when we tend to think of history, our minds are often pulled toward images of dusty libraries filled top to bottom with heavy leather-bound tomes. But the truth is, this image is something we, as a largely Eurocentric culture, have been conditioned to believe, is the, quote, right way to record history.

It's true that there are not many written records of Monsamusa's reign, at least not from medieval West African sources. But that is largely because the history of West Africa was passed down through oral tradition rather than written tradition. There's a harmful misconception that, quite honestly, was likely perpetuated by many of the institutions behind a fair number of the subjects of this podcast, that histories passed down through spoken word are, quote, inferior or less civilized than that of written record.

But it simply isn't true. In fact, in West Africa, oral historians were often prized scholars, also known as griots, who were expressly forbidden from physically recording historical moments, so as to prove their intellect when recalling the moment back to be passed down for future generations. And if for some reason you need further proof that oral traditions are not some signifier of, quote, uncivilized culture, just think of the Odyssey or the Iliad, both of which were passed down through oral tradition for hundreds of years before ever being put to paper. Or if you want a more relevant example, this very podcast, and by extension podcasting as a whole, could be considered a certain

kind of oral history. All this is to say, though these oral histories may lack specificity in terms of dates and times, the way we might expect from written history, I think it's important to analyze the lens by which we've traditionally been taught to understand events from the past in the first place. It's also important to recognize the benefits to oral histories that written histories often lack. In the case of Monsamusa, the inherent mythos around the Hodge she went on, as well as his empire's incredible riches, would, for better or worse, go on to shape Mali for generations after Musa's passing. Now, back to our story. It's unclear exactly when Musa was born, or the specific year he came into power, but historians agree he became

Monsa or Sultan around 1312, likely when Musa was in his early to mid-20s, though perhaps more interesting than his age was the circumstances by which Musa was given the throne in the first place. In an account recorded by the scholar Alumari, Musa made it clear that he was never meant to have inherited the throne when he did. His unlikely rise was thanks to a previous Sultan's interest in exploration. Quote, the king who is my predecessor did not believe that it was impossible to discover the furthest limits of the Atlantic Ocean. The Sultan is quoted, saying to the governor of Cairo. Well, before the couplet in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue ever came into relevance, leaders around the world were already looking to the horizons off their coastlines,

ready to discover possible worlds unknown. This is evidenced by the exploration of figures like the Chinese mariner Zhang He, who under the guidance of the Ming Dynasty in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, would travel as far as East Africa. It's also evidenced by Arab Indian and East African explorers. However, unlike Zheng He, or Christopher Columbus for that matter, Monsa Moussa's predecessor would never be highlighted in history for his maritime exploration. In his first attempt, Moussa's predecessor sent out 200 ships into the Atlantic with enough gold and provisions to last years,

and directions, quote, not to return until they reached the end of it, or their provisions in water gave out, end quote. In the end, out of the 200 ships, only one returned, stating that the rest of the ships had gone on without them. But this answer did not satisfy the sultan. In fact, the lone surviving ship inspired Moose's predecessor to prepare an additional 2,000 ships, half of which were to be filled with provisions for their travels

and the other to carry the men, this time with the Sultan himself among their ranks. Though before he was set to depart, the Sultan appointed Musa to lead while he was out at sea. Quote, he left me to deputize for him and embarked upon the Atlantic Ocean with his men. Monsamusa would eventually recount to the governor of Cairo, quote, that was the last we saw of him,

and all those men who were with him, and so I became king in my own right, end quote. To this day, day, no one knows for sure exactly what happened to Musa's predecessor. Many historians assume he simply got lost at sea, though some revisionist historians believe he could have potentially made it to the Americas. Regardless, the fact remained that Musa's predecessor never returned to Mali, therefore bestowing Musa himself with the title,

History would forever remember him by, Monsa Musa. As a young ruler, Monsamusa had inherited a similarly young empire. He was only the ninth Monsa to take the throne, and as such he was eager to establish, not only himself, but Mali as a nation on a global scale. And so, with a young empire under his command and what surely must have felt like the eyes of the entire world

watching his next move, Monsa Monsa Moussa chose to give those watching him something to look at. If the 80 camel loads of gold and 60,000 person traveling party were any indicator, it should come as no surprise that the haj of Mansa Musa was by far the defining moment of his reign. Though it should be noted that an undertaking of this magnitude wasn't accomplished overnight. In reality, most historians agree Musa likely began planning for the Hajj not long after he was put on the throne. meaning he would have been orchestrating this trek for at least a decade before ever setting foot on the road.

Historian Michael A. Gomez estimates, quote, if 10 years are allowed for preparations, some 6,000 persons would have been captured per annum for this purpose, end quote, a statement that is supported by the scholar Alumari, saying of Montemusa, quote, the king of this country wages a permanently holy war on the pagans of, of the Sudan, who are his neighbors, and quote. On top of the, quote, slaving campaigns Musa orchestrated in order to create an infrastructure by which to support the haj, she was determined to complete,

the 80 camel's worth of gold didn't appear overnight. By the time Montemusa reached Cairo, rumors as to where exactly the gold came from had fully taken on lives of their own. The most common fallacy was the rumor gold plant, which, separate from Musa, had been circulating as early as the 10th century during the reign of the Ghanaian Empire. The gold plant varied in description depending on the source. One source saying it, quote, grows in the sand as carrots do, and quote, while Musa himself

spread the notion it grew, quote, in the spring and blossomed after the rains in open country, end quote. Unfortunately, as thrilling as the discovery of a medieval West African gold plant would no doubt be for geologists and jewelers everywhere, the reality of the gold's origin is likely a little less exciting. While there's no way to tell for sure where exactly the gold came from, most historians posit the production and export of copper, as well as the trade of salt, could have been the source of the majority of Musa's fortune. And for those confused as to why anyone would trade copper, or let alone salt, for something

as valuable as gold, I think it's important to remember gold as a metal has significantly less useful properties than copper, which could be made into a variety of tools, or salt, which is quite literally necessary for human survival. Meanwhile, gold's primary uses were either as a type of cosmetic adornment, or, more importantly for Monsa Musa, a form of currency. And even though Musa did not shy away from the lore that in Mali, gold basically grew on trees, or in the ground like carrots, for him to amass as much wealth as he did was no small feat. Considering the substantial time and energy reserved solely for the preparations for the haj, it's worth asking why Monsa Moussa chose to pursue a traveling caravan of this scale in the first place.

Had he purely been wanting to complete the pilgrimage for the sake of his own religious practice, he could have easily traveled with a much smaller party that required a fraction of the resources. But clearly, Moussa had ulterior motives when preparing for his journey. The first motive might have had to do with Monsa Moussa's claim. to the throne. The line of succession for the early Malian Empire remains a point of contention with medieval West African historians. There was no clear path of inheritance, the way we've become familiar with inheritance within the context of European monarchies. This could have been for a host of different reasons, though I think one of the most important to consider would be

the simple fact that the Malian Empire as a whole was, for lack of a better term, young, and considering the untraditional methods by which Musa himself was left with a kingdom in his charge, he likely chose to use the Hajj as a way to exhibit his power and solidify his possibly precarious hold on the throne. In addition to securing his power as Mali's ruler, the Haj also offered Musa ample opportunity to expand Mali's borders and influence far beyond the reaches of West Africa. It's clear through the preparations made for his journey, Musa meant to project a certain image as he made his way across the African continent. Though in all likelihood, the 17 tons of gold, 18 tons if you include the gold staffs held by the enslaved workers in

his caravan, spoke for themselves as citizens of the cities he passed through gawked at his overt displays of wealth. It should be noted that while the impressive caravan was, no doubt, used to bolster his reputation, it did serve a practical purpose as well. After over a decade spent acquiring enough manpower and gold to make the impact he was seeking, when Mansamusa finally began the Hajin earnest, he used a fair amount of his gold and manpower to erect mosques as he went. Before all else, Monsa Moussa was a devout Muslim and sought to spread the teachings of Islam as he set out to complete the haj he had so long prepared for. In this way, a good portion of the young Sultan's funds and slave labor went to the construction of mosques, which is also why reports as to

exactly how many people and how much gold he brought on his journey vary so wildly. It's likely that Musa began his pilgrimage with far more resources than he ended it with. But then again, that was by design. The construction of mosques on Musa's trek across the African continent not only served as a way to parade his affluence, but more importantly, as a non-violent expansion

of his empire. Dissimilar to his slaving campaigns, even for those who did not practice Islam, the mosques were more than just a space for religion, As Montsemusa continued his travels, word began to spread about the wealth and prosperity of the Malian Empire. As such, the mosques attracted scholars and merchants from outside Mali's borders, making what began as villages and towns evolve into urban marketplaces, ultimately stimulating Mali's economic growth.

And as the chain of mosques left in the wake of his pilgrimage grew, word about the wildly rich and powerful Mansa Musa continued to spread east across the African continent until July 1324, when finally, after weeks of waiting, the fabled Malian Sultan approached the city of Cairo. Even after funding a trail of mosques behind him, Musa still had plenty of gold and men to make the impact he wanted in Cairo. Upon his entrance in the city, Montsemusa immediately began spending exorbitant amounts of gold, resupplying his provisions,

but also, undoubtedly, trying to flex his abundance to the dazzled crowd. One scholar is quoted as saying, quote, when Montsemusa first arrived in Cairo, he and his followers bought all kinds of things, they thought their money was inexhaustible, and quote. So extravagant was his spending that in the end, Monsamusa would inevitably cause such mass inflation within Cairo that their economy would need a decade before it could fully recover.

As the city attempted to gain some control over Moussa's runaway inflation, the Malian Sultan would leave Cairo to continue on to Mecca to complete his haj. It wouldn't be until Monsa Moussa eventually returned to Cairo on his way home, that the Sultan would be faced with a seemingly impossible truth. The money that he had once spent as if it were inexhaustible was gone, and he now had no means of funding his return home. When Mansamusa met these city limits of Cairo for the second time, his reception was far more subdued than the parade his initial arrival had been.

One scholar reported that after reaching Mecca and completing his pilgrimage, when he attempted to begin the journey back to Mali, quote, many of his followers and camels perished from cold so that only a third of them arrived in Cairo with him, and quote. After a few wrong turns proved fatal for a significant portion of Musa's traveling party, the Sultan was left not just short-handed, but underfunded as well. In the wake of the Sultan's extreme spending that

had essentially flooded Cairo's market with gold, Monsa Moussa suddenly found himself with empty pockets, while the straits he had paraded down just months before, glittered with the riches once carried by his now significantly smaller caravan. In order to return home, Musa was forced to take out loans in the market that he himself had caused to massively inflate. Despite the Sultan's sudden hardships,

Cairo's money lenders were more than happy to extend lines of credit to the now penniless Montsemusa, with steep interest rates, of course. Now, due to the nature of the sources surrounding these stories, there are some discrepancies as to if or when these loans were repaid. Some claim Montemusa basically cheated the lenders in Cairo out of the substantial interest his loan would have no doubt accrued by paying back everything he owned in his money. its entirety as soon as he stepped back on Malian Soyo, while other sources claim that they never received any sort of repayment at all. It's impossible to say exactly what happened to the money

after he left Cairo for the second time, but the fate of his loans ultimately made little difference to the whole of Mansa Mousa's legacy. Even though Musa's reign would end just 13 years after his Hajj in 1337, the ripple effects of his actions as Molly Sultan would be felt for countless generations to come. To this day, Mansa Musa is estimated to be the richest person to have ever lived with a roughly estimated net worth of over $400 billion. I should note that due to the discrepancies in exactly how much gold he had, as well as the not exactly linear methods used to translate his supply of gold into inflation-adjusted dollar amounts. This figure is far from what I would consider a solid number. But regardless, Mansa Musa's wealth did not carry clout just because of whatever

dollar amount we place on it. The mosques he erected across his pilgrimage spread the practice of Islam, but they also worked to attract scholars and merchants from beyond Mali's borders, making urban centers of education and trade available in previously remote isolated villages. Though Moussa may have ultimately lacked the funds for his return home, his initial display of power and affluence not only achieved his initial goal to solidify his place on the Malian throne, but secured his legacy far beyond the borders of West Africa. This is perhaps best exemplified in one of the prime examples of medieval mapmaking, the Catalan Atlas. Completed in 1375, the Catalan Atlas was created by a Jewish mapmaker, Abraham Kreskes,

who had been commissioned by King John I of Aragon, to create the map as a gift for King Charles V of France. When looking at the Atlas from afar, one of the most striking elements about the piece is the amount of color used, and not just color, but the all-too-familiar warm sheen of gold. From the compass on the first panel to flags, denoting different nations, your eyes can't move a few inches before being caught by the rich metallic adornment. However, the map's most interesting use of gold is down at the bottom of the first panel, where the image of a dark-skinned royal sits on a throne. A gold crown is painted atop his head, while the man is holding a scepter in one hand and a golden orb in the other. When Mansamusa inherited the throne, Mali was a thriving empire in its own right,

but its borders held itself back from the rest of the world. Musa's inclusion in the Catalan Atlas, a piece that was created over 50 years after his legendary haj on an entirely different continent, exemplifies the reach his reign had on a global scale. Considering the lengths Masa Musa went to acquire the materials and manpower to complete his haj, it almost makes sense that Musa essentially put himself on the global map.

That was the story of Monsamusa and his legendary Hajj, but stick around after a brief sponsor break to hear how his legend continues to persist in popular culture today. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live,

and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice. ever. I went and had lunch with them one day and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes,

but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wode. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, And the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Farrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

I went and had lunch with them one day. And I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. and he's like just give it a shot

he goes but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore it's okay to quit if you saw it written down it would not be an inspiration it would not be on a calendar of you know the cat just hang in there

yeah it would not be right it wouldn't be that there's a lot of luck listen to thanks dad on the iHeart radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast In these 700 years since his pilgrimage, outside of Sid Meier's civilization video game franchise, Monsamous's name has largely been kept out of our public consciousness. That is, unless you know where to look. Now, there is no official confirmation citing the inspiration for this scene,

but if you remember the beloved 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin, you may remember a certain song called Prince Ali. In a bid to win the heart of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin and the genie concoct a plan to impress her by making Aladdin appear to be a rich and powerful Prince Ali Ababa, a prince who proceeds to enter the city of Agrabah, atop an elephant, led by, perhaps, a familiar type of procession of men clearing the path for his arrival. If you haven't connected the dots already, allow me to direct you to some of the more obvious comparisons such as Aladdin dressing as Prince Ali literally flinging handfuls of gold coins from where he sits atop his elephant from a seemingly endless pile of money.

Or when Prince Ali's procession sings of all the riches he brings, including 75 golden camels. To which, of course, we all know Robin Williams as the genie, parodies being an announcer like at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, saying, Don't they look lovely, June? Of course, Aladdin's 75 golden camels are camels made of gold, as opposed to Monsa Musa's 80 camels, which were real live camels, with gold on their backs. But the inclusion of this lyric is so specific that, at least in my opinion, it should be considered maybe a nod to the Malian king, whose legendary riches and affinity for showmanship continue to enthrall of. to this day. Noble Blood is a production of I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from

Aaron Manky. Noble Blood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz. Additional writing and researching done by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is produced by Rima Il-Kaali, with supervising producer Josh Thain,

and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from IHard Heart Radio, visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.