Meet the richest person who ever lived and it’s not Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates or Mukesh Ambani

Every time we think of super-rich people the people who names come to our mind are Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Birla and others. However, there were many people in history who were more wealthier than those named above and one name which stands out Mansa Musa. It is believed that the legendary 14-century African emperor was the richest man ever to live on earth.

Who was Mansa Musa?

Born in 1280 AD, Mansa Musa was the ruler of the vast Mali empire in West Africa. He became the king in 1312 AD and it is estimated that his wealth was around USD 400 billion adjusted for inflation. The source of Musa’s wealth was massive resources of salt and gold. Musa’s empire stretched across multiple modern African countries like Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso. Timbuktu wasa the capital of Musa’s empire.

The tale of Mansa Musa’s Hajj pilgrimage

In 1324, Mansa Musa embarked on Hajj pilgrimage for Mecca. According to records, Mansa Musa’s ca massive caravan was the biggest ever to enter Africa’s Sahara desert for a journey. It is said that Mansa Musa took hundred camels, massive amounts of gold, 12,000 servants and 8,000 followers with him.

Mansa Musa was a generous ruler

According to reports, Mansa Musa was a generous king and was called ‘King of Kings’ by his people. According to the British Museum, during Mansa Musa's rule Mali Empire was the largest producer of gold in the world. It is said that Mansa Musa used to donate gold generously to his people.