Indeed, Mansa Musa, who ruled the African kingdom of ... The atlas features a portrait of Musa sitting on a throne, holding a nugget of gold in one hand and a golden staff in the other.

Mansa Musa’s wealth stemmed primarily from the Mali Empire’s control over the lucrative trade in salt from the northern regions and, most notably, gold from the mines of Bambuk and Bure in the ...

Local manuscripts and travellers’ accounts state that Mansa Musa's wealth came from the Mali Empire's control and taxation of the salt trade in northern regions and gold mining in the south.

at a time when gold was in extremely high demand. Mansa Musa transformed cities like Timbuktu and Gao into major cultural and trade hubs. He invited architects from the Middle East and other ...