The Richest Man in the History of the World

The richest man in the history of the world is Mansa Musa. Although many would think that modern names like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bernard Arnault would top the chart of the richest men in the world, history proves to be interesting.

If we rewind the clock to the 14th century, we will find Mansa I Musa, the emperor of Mali. He had access to gold that no man has ever had. It is due to his gold ownership that Mansa is deemed the richest man in the history of the world.

His wealth was so vast that the subject of quantifying it and equating it to contemporary value has remained a complex task even for the greatest historians. As earlier mentioned, the majority of his wealth was rooted in gold and other natural resources, unlike modern-day billionaires, whose wealth is often tied to the stock market.

In 1324, Mansa Musa made quite the entrance in Cairo, leaving the city’s people amazed. Picture this: thousands of African soldiers, scholars, traders, and even slaves, all decked out in gold, parading through the narrow streets. Horses and camels, their fur covered in gold leaf, were hauling so much wealth that it was handed out to the poor like candy and traded for goods. Mansa Musa’s generosity was so overwhelming that the local economy in Cairo crashed and didn’t bounce back for a whole decade.

Imagine being so rich that when you decide to spend your money, you affect the economy of a nation like Kenya! I, Clinton Wamalwa Wanjala, would like to be this rich; the less fortunate in society will not suffer on my watch.

Besides his wealth, Mansa Musa was a man of culture. He used his wealth to build educational and religious institutions, particularly in Timbuktu, which became a center of learning and culture under his reign. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca inspired him to cultivate Islamic scholarly tradition in West Africa, leading to the establishment of 80 universities in Timbuktu by the 1400s. Scholars from all over the world flocked to learn Islamic law and astronomy, making it a golden age for the city and for Mali.

So, while the richest people in the world today may dominate headlines, none can compare to the legendary wealth of Mansa Musa, the richest man the world has ever known.