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How Did Mansa Musa Change West African Culture

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Have you ever heard of Mansa Musa, the tenth king of the wealthy ancient West African Mali Empire? Mansa Musa changed life for Africans (specifically the Malian culture) during his rule and through his relationship with African societies and people. His journey to the Holy City of Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, changed lives for the supposed better in more ways the one. The pilgrimage of Mecca, which he led, explicitly changed Malian lifestyle. In his twenty-five year reign, Musa demonstrated and gave insight of the African culture to the neighboring countries. Not only did Mansa Musa give others an interesting life, he lead an quite intriguing one of his own.

Musa was the fourteenth century emperor of the Mali Empire. The name Mansa, meaning King of Kings, was given to Musa when he became emperor and ascended the throne in 1312. He was born in c.1280 and died of natural causes in c. 1337. He gained access to the throne through his relatives. Mansa Musa was the grandson of one of Sundiata's sisters …show more content…

An area that was changed due to this, was the city of Timbuktu. It is located about 12 miles North of the southern edge of the River Niger. Subsequent to the pilgrimage, Timbuktu was transformed into a cultural center of the Mali Empire. Trade elevated immensely during this time and as the population grew, a university was created to educate the newcomers. Islam was spread through the merchants and by teachers at the University. The city became part of the growing Mali Empire and King Musa instructed the citizens to construct a royal palace in honor of him. Education began to be refined and extended all throughout the Mali Empire and with this increase in knowledge, Malians began to make advances and create innovations in technology. Even following the decline in the Mali Empire, Timbuktu continued to be a cultural center because of the innovations Mansa Musa

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