Mansa Musa
Made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, spending so much gold in Cairo that Mali became famous around the Mediterranean; he built mosques in Timbuktu.
| Lived | c. 1280 – 1337 |
| Known as | Emperor of Mali |
| Birthplace or main place | Timbuktu |
| Places on the map | Timbuktu, Gao, Cairo, Mecca |
TimbuktuSee the world of Mansa Musa in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1200) | At death (map of 1300) |
|---|---|---|
| Timbuktu | Berber Tribes | Mali |
| Gao | Berber Tribes | Mali |
| Cairo | Fatimid Caliphate | Mamluk Sultanate |
| Mecca | Fatimid Caliphate | Mamluk Sultanate |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1324 | Mansa Musa of Mali makes his gold-laden pilgrimage to Mecca | Timbuktu |
| 1325 | The Mali Empire controls Gao (about this date) | Gao |
| 1327 | The Djinguereber mosque is built | Timbuktu |
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1267 – 1337 | Giotto | Painter and architect |
| 1254 – 1324 | Marco Polo | Merchant and traveller |
| 1265 – 1321 | Dante Alighieri | Poet |
| 1304 – 1369 | Ibn Battuta | Traveller |
| 1304 – 1374 | Petrarch | Poet and humanist |
| c. 1315 – 1390 | Hafez | Poet |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.