Tag: dbq-mansa

A king’s journey always has effects. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca effected both the economics and political views in Africa. For good and for bad, Musa intended to make the pilgrimage for him. Even though Mansa Musa thought he was making the journey for himself and his religion, it was more widely viewed as a celebration and praise for him and his kingdom through his generosity. The economic effects from the journey were mostly good, with the rare turn for the worse.

According to Mansa Musa’s Hajj by the Numbers (1), the chart provides insight on the things accompanying Musa and an idea of how the journey looked. Most of the gold brought on the journey was used as gifts to other people, as recommended during the pilgrimage to Mecca. When giving it away, the gold helped provided resource for any one person or village, which gave the people ease in the sense that they didn’t have to struggle hard to keep their village alive.

According to Ibn Battuta (3), Taghaza is described as a desert-like place. The only things there are salt mines, which make the village survive. Based on belief, Mansa Musa didn’t do much with the village, as it was a barren and desolate place. According to Verses from the Qur’an (4), The verses have a message, telling Musa to be very giving and nice on his hajj; doing good shall keep him holy and rewarded in the eyes of the lord. The Qur’an emphasizes on the moral code during the hajj, giving the message to be as holy and charitable as possible to wipe away the some of the sins. The POV from the Verses reflects authorial, since the Qur’an stresses having a great moral code, especially during the pilgrimage to Mecca so that man can wipe away some of his sins and be noble in the eyes of the lord. The foundation for this morality is established by being kind and benevolent. Therefore it makes sense that the Verses from the Qur’an, pushing God’s ideal morals, help ensure morality. According to Al-Umari (5), Mansa Musa was very generous, giving many gifts to the people of Cairo.

The constant exchange of gold throughout the region led to the diminished value of gold, causing the gifts of Musa to become valueless. This was one of the main effects that turned bad. The constant trading and re-trading of gold would soon get old. The people would realize that the gold they had isn’t really worth the gold of others, leading them to trade less for more, causing the diminishment on the value of gold. The trading that the Cairo people did, led to what we have today in the modern world. The POV from Al-Umari reflects authenticity since he received the information from people who met Mansa Musa. Since it is based on the information of people who met Musa, it can be believed that Musa intended to positively effect Cairo with the gifts, but turned bad thanks to the abuse of the gold. A good some of the people that undertook the hajj along with Musa. They would have been by his side and experienced the economical effects caused by Musa’s pilgrimage.

The people saw the gifts that were given and what exactly the receivers did with the gifts. They would have been able to describe what happened throughout the journey. The political effects of Mansa Musa’s hajj were far and few as Mansa gave a lot of gifts. According to the map (2), the map shows that Musa followed the trade routes closely on his way to Mecca. Since the routes he followed were commonly used by merchants and travelers, Mansa knew he would be safe and okay traveling close to the routes. The POV from the maps reflects Authenticity since it shows where Mansa traveled on his way to Mecca.

It can be believe that Musa used the trading routes as bases for his pilgrimage since he knew they were safe routes and there was a slimmer possibility of anything happing to him on purpose. Since the map shows Musa following closely to trading routes and into villages, Musa, his followers, and his camel were well resourced and provided with adequate supplies to successfully make it to Mecca. According to the Catalan Atlas (6), the atlas shows what is known of the world according the middle-eastern people in the thirteenth century. Although Mansa Musa undertook the pilgrimage to Mecca for himself and for the religion of Islam, the journey was seen by the people as more for Musa and his kingdom.

All anyone really remembers about his journey are the gifts that he gave. Based on this, and the fact that most of what is told his about Musa having gold and giving gifts, It’s seen more toward a celebration of him and his kingdom. A king’s journey always has effects. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca effected both the economics and political views in Africa. For good and for bad, Musa intended to make the pilgrimage for him. Even though Mansa Musa thought he was making the journey for himself and his religion, it was more widely viewed as a celebration and praise for him and his kingdom through his generosity.