The Richest Person of All Time, American Historian Left Astounded Calculating His Wealth

The Figure of the Wealthiest Person of All Time, American Historian Left in Awe Calculating His Wealth

Dream - The richest person in the world currently is occupied by Elon Musk with a wealth recorded by Forbes reaching Rp3.537 trillion (exchange rate Rp16.407 per US$), but he is not the richest person of all time. The title of the richest person of all time is held by Mansa Musa.

The Richest Person of All Time, American Historian Left Astounded Calculating His Wealth

Quoting BBC, Mansa Musa was a wealthy ruler of West Africa in the 14th century. His generosity was so great that his donations destroyed the economy of a nation.

"Celebrity Net Worth estimates Musa's wealth to be around US$400 billion or approximately Rp6.536 quadrillion (exchange rate of Rp16,341 per US$). 'The amount of wealth Musa had, if calculated in today's time, is truly extraordinary to the point that it is almost impossible to truly comprehend how rich and powerful he was at that time,' said Rudolph Butch Ware, professor of history at the University of California, to BBC."

Jacob Davidson who wrote about Mansa for the Money.com website in 2015 even said that Mansa Muda "is richer than what people imagine". Mansa Musa was born in 1280 into a ruling family. His brother, Mansa Abu-Bakr, ruled their kingdom, Mali, until 1312. Mansa Musa then inherited the throne left by his brother.

Under his leadership, the Kingdom of Mali developed rapidly. He successfully conquered 24 new cities, including Timbuktu. With a vast territory under its control, the Kingdom of Mali possessed significant natural resources, including gold and salt.

The kingdom stretches for 3,128 kilometers, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Niger region, including areas that are now Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guinea, and Ivory Coast. According to the British Museum, during the reign of Mansa Musa, the Kingdom of Mali possessed almost half of the circulating gold in the Old World - countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

"As a ruler, Mansa Musa had almost unlimited access to the most valuable sources of wealth in the medieval era,"

said Kathleen Bickford Berzock, who is an African art specialist at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, to the BBC.

Although the Kingdom of Mali became a source of gold, it turns out that the kingdom was not well-known. The kingdom started to be known when Mansa Musa, a devout Muslim, decided to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, through the Sahara Desert and Egypt.

"The king is reported to have departed from Mali along with a entourage of 60,000 people. He brought along all the officials and judges of the kingdom, army troops, entertainers, traders, camel riders, and his 12,000 slaves, as well as a procession of goats and cows for food supplies. His entourage appeared like a moving city through the desert."

The US technology company, SmartAsset.com, estimates that based on the depreciation of the value of gold, Mansa Musa's hajj journey caused an economic loss of US$1.5 billion or approximately Rp24.5 trillion throughout the Middle East.

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