Mansa Musa I - King of Kings ― The Great Pilgrimage of an African King from Africa to Arabia 1324-1325

Mensa Musa I: King of Kings vividly recounts the unique story of the young West African ruler, the King of Mali, who controlled a massive territory from 1312-1337. Mensa Musa's territory of rule stretched across 2,000 miles, from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad. Under his rule, his state prospered and it is estimated that he was the wealthiest man in the world. From 1324-1325, he undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca with a massive retinue of 12,000 men. The voyage, at that time was without precedent—crossing the Sahara all the way to Arabia, a distance of some 4,000 kilometres. His intent was to bring the very best of the Arabic world—scholars, government bureaucrats, architects, educators, commercial knowhow, poets, and artisans—to his massive kingdom. Effectively, he was to transform his kingdom to become a leading force in the world. He succeeded, indeed, and his pilgrimage brought his Malian kingdom to the attention of Europe. For the next two centuries, Italian, German, and Spanish cartographers produced new maps of the world showing the vital routes which connected Africa to Arabia.

Jean-Louis Roy is the author of numerous books including The Age of Diversity: The New Cultural Map and Ontario in Transition. He has served as President of the International Partnership and the Centre de la Francophonie in the Americas. He was Director of Le Devoir before being appointed Québec’s Delegate General in Paris, a post he held until 1990. from 1990 to 1998 he was Secretary General of the Agence de la Francophonie in Paris. Jean-Louis Roy is currently a visiting researcher at the Public Law Research Centre of the University of Montreal (CRDP).