Mansa Musa Coloring Page

Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire in West Africa, which was rich in gold and salt. In 1324 he made a pilgrimage to Mecca with a huge caravan of people and camels. He gave away so much gold along the way that, according to writers at the time, the price of gold in Cairo dropped for years.

He brought scholars and architects back with him, and the city of Timbuktu grew into a center of learning, with schools, libraries and mosques. Maps from Europe soon began showing him on a throne holding a piece of gold.