hroughout history, wealthy men have walked the face of the earth. These distinct men have amassed fortunes for themselves that most can only dream of. And Wealth is the means through which all earthly success is measured. This particular man went down in history as the man with the greatest wealth.

And here are some astonishing facts about him:

Fact #1: He was from West Africa

Africa is known globally as the poorest continent on earth, but this wasn’t always the case.

This can be hard to digest, but Africa is blessed with the richest concentration of natural resources, such as oil, copper, diamonds, bauxite, lithium, gold, hardwood forests, and tropical fruits. An estimated 30% of the earth’s mineral resources are found in the African continent.

This can also account for why the emperor of the Mali empire-King Mansa, was so rich, which is present-day Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, and northern Ghana.

Fact #2: His Riches came from salt

Contrary to modern methods of wealth creation like Rental Systems and Computer/Software Systems, part of Mansa’s wealth came from mining significant salt and gold deposits.

Although through inheritance, he got an empire that was already wealthy, his efforts in expanding trade made Mali the wealthiest kingdom in Africa. Elephant ivory was another major source of his wealth.

Fact #3: He caused a 12-year Inflation in Egypt by just visiting

Just like two rulers before him, King Mansa undertook the hajj in 1324 as an act of devotion in line with Islamic tradition. On his pilgrimage to Mecca, he passed through Egypt.

He spent gold so extravagantly in the Cairo market, thereby causing a huge decline in its value that the market was unstable for 12 years down the line.

Fact #4: He carried tens of thousands of people and dozens of camels, each carrying 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of gold, on his trip to Mecca

In the present day, most public figures move with guards, and the number can vary depending on social status. But no number is comparable to King Musa’s.

On his trip to Mecca, Mansa was accompanied by an outstanding caravan made up of 60,000 men, including a personal retinue of 12,000 enslaved persons, all clad in brocade and Persian silk. Whilst, he rode on horseback and was directly preceded by 500 enslaved persons, each carrying a gold-adorned staff.

Moreover, the king had a baggage train of 80 camels, each carrying 300 pounds of gold.

Fact #5: His Net worth is estimated at $400,000,000,000

US website Celebrity Net Worth estimated King Mansa’s wealth at $400bn, but economic historians agree that his wealth is impossible to pin down.

They are myriad reasons for historians being unable to actually calculate his wealth-one of them is his wealth didn’t exist only Mali empire because he expanded his trade across Africa.

Fact #6: He was a devoted Muslim

The emperor of Mali was a Muslim-just like two others before him, and his pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as the hajj, gained him a reputation across Northern Africa and the Middle East.

King Musa saw Islam as “an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean”.

After his trip to Mecca, King Mansa Musa began to revitalize cities in his kingdom. He constructed mosques and large public buildings in cities like Gao and, most famously, Timbuktu, which became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century.