Last week we learned about Mansa Musa and how he made a pilgrimage to Hajj which is in the city of Mecca. Hajj is the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that takes place in the last month of the year, and that all Muslims are expected to make at least once during their lifetime. Mansa Musa prepared well for the long trip he had to take. His journey through Egypt caused quite a stir because he gave away so much gold that the overall value of gold decreased in Egypt for the next 12 years.

Last week we learned about Mansa Musa and how he made a pilgrimage to Hajj which is in the city of Mecca. Hajj is the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that takes place in the last month of the year, and that all Muslims are expected to make at least once during their lifetime. Mansa Musa prepared well for the long trip he had to take. His journey through Egypt caused quite a stir because he gave away so much gold that the overall value of gold decreased in Egypt for the next 12 years.

When reading last week we read about Mansu Musa who did take a pilgrimage to Mecca. The reason being that he was remembered for his pilgrimage was because of his great wealth that he had acquired during his lifetime. He also on his pilgrimage brought with him tons of gold and he also administered many gifts to the citizens of mecca as well as the gold he brought. But in doing so he not only lowered the average price of gold but he was a swell weakening his own empire because the gold be brought was from this cities in his empire. This in turn lead to the his own country being significantly weakened by his actions.

We read a bit about Mecca in the background of Mansa Musa. He was well known for his pilgrimage to Mecca due to the world becoming aware of his great wealth. Mecca is seen as the holiest city of Islam as it was the birthplace of Muhammad, the Islamic Prophet. As the highlighted section stated, people would make a pilgrimage from all over in order to worship Allah and still do so today.

Mecca is considered the holy city of Islam, near Cairo, Egypt on the west side of Africa. When Mansa Musa made his pilgrimage, as is tradition for a Malian sovereign, he impressed the court so much with his offering that people wrote about it for decades to come. Looking further at his journey, we note that he left Niani and most definitely passed one of the branches of Mount Tauris (the Tibesti Mountains). It's incredibly interesting to think about how long this journey was, and the fact that he left such a large impression by his gifts and wealth was fascinating to me considering the era. In our readings, it also said he brought 10,000 of his followers, which is even more incredible that that many people made this perilous journey

Mon oncle a effectué deux fois le pèlerinage à La Mecque.

sama -- my.

nijaay ji n. -- maternal uncle; term of reference and address to designate the husband, in conservative circles.

aj (Arabic) v. -- make the pilgrimage to Mecca. 🕋; deceased ☠️ (for a religious personality).

na -- he (?).

ñaar+i (ñaar) -- twice; two. 2️⃣

yoon wi n. -- lane, path, track 🛤; law, regulation, legislation; times.

It was a pilgrimage to Mecca that Mansu Musa is remembered for. He was well prepared for the journey taking many people with him. He also took a very large quantity of gold that had been acquired over years and years by several generations. When he got to Cairo, he gave out large sums of gold, so much that gold became less expensive. In Cairo he became a very appreciated person but in his own city, he is remembered as a ruler who spent a large sum of money on a pilgrimage to Mecca and thus weakening his own empire for generations to come.