- "All that you give out of charity, seeking God's countenance, will be blessed by him."
Musa I (c. 1280 – 1337), better known as Mansa Musa, was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire. Widely considered to have been the wealthiest person in history (some sources measuring his wealth at around $400 billion when adjusted for inflation), his vast wealth was used to attract scholars, merchants and architects to Mali, establishing it as a beacon of Islamic trade, culture and learning. He leads the Malians in Civilization VI: Gathering Storm.
The wealth of Mansa Musa will flow through his cities creating a mighty desert empire.
Intro[]
Mansa Musa, great king of Mali, you are blessed with wealth beyond comprehension, yet you remain uncorrupted. Raise your eyes from the marketplace to the heavens and satisfy your heart's great yearning for peace. Protect the prosperity of your people, and history will write your name in golden letters.
In-Game[]
Mansa Musa's unique agenda is Lord of the Mines. He tries to collect as much Gold as possible and dislikes leaders whose Gold output is low.
His leader ability is Sahel Merchants. His international Trade Routes receive 1 extra Gold for every flat Desert tile in the origin city, and his Trade Route capacity permanently increases by 1 each time he enters a Golden Age.
Detailed Approach[]
Mali has a large gold focus. This combined with their ability to make purchases easier will allow them to quickly develop their cities. They also have large bonuses for being in the desert, allowing them to prosper in land that is usually left undeveloped.
Lines[]
Mansa Musa is voiced by Hesham Mostafa Elshazly. He speaks Modern Standard Arabic.
Voiced[]
Codename | Quote (English translation) | Quote (Arabic) | Notes |
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Agenda-based Approval | Rejoice with me, friend, for we are free from every want and can devote our time to the will of God. | افرحوا معي يا أصدقاء لأنّنا أحرارٌ من كلّ رغبة، ويمكن وأن نكرّس وقتنا لإرادة الله
Ifraħū maʻī yā ʾaśdiqaʾ liʾannanā ʾaħrārun min kulli raghba, wa-yumkin wa-ʾan nukarrisu waqtanā li-ʾirādati-llāh. |
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Agenda-based Disapproval | What have you done, that God has withdrawn his bounty from you? See that you return to righteousness! | ماذا فعلتم ليأخذ الله منكم تلك المكافأة؟ أعودوا إلى طريق الصواب
Madha faʻaltum li-yaʾkhudh Allāhu minkum tilka l-mukāfaʾa? ʾAʻudū ʾilā ťarīq aś-śawāb. |
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Attacked | Enough! My forbearance ends here! We must have war between us, instead of a false peace. | كفى! تسامحي ينتهي هنا. يجب أن تكون بيننا حرب بدلاً من سلامٍ زائف
Kafā! Tasāmuħī yantahī hunā. Yajubu ʾan takūna baynanā ħarb badalan min salāmin zāʾif. |
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Declares War | Your transgressions are as deep as oceans. O God, grant that I may chastise this one! | تجاوزاتك عميقة مثل المحيطات. يا الله... أعني على عقابه
Tajāwuzātuka ʻamīqatu mithl al-muħayťāt. Yā Allāh... ʾaʻinī ʻalā ʻiqābi. |
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Defeated | Wealth is fleeting; learning is vanity. All I have done, O God, I did in your name. | الثروة عابرة، والتعلّم يؤدّي إلى الغرور. كلّ ما فعلته، يا إلهي، فعلته باسمك
Ath-tharwatu ʻābira, wa-t-taʻallumu yuʾaddī ʾilā l-ghurūr. Kullu mā faʻaltuhu, yā ʾilāhī, faʻaltuhu bi-smik. |
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Greeting | I am Sultan Musa, lord of Mali, and—thanks be to God—a very, very rich man. I am pleased to meet you. | أنا السلطان موسى، سيّد مالي، وبحمد الله — أنا رجلٌ غنيٌّ جدّاً جدّاً. تشرّفت بلقائكم
ʾAnā s-Sulťāna Mūsā, sayyidu Mālī, wa-bi-ħamdi-llāh — ʾanā rajulun ghaniyyun jiddan jiddan. Tašarraftu bi-li-qāʾikum. |
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Quote from Civilopedia | All that you give out of charity, seeking God's countenance, will be blessed by him. | كلّ ما تخرجون من صدقةٍ، ابتغاء وجه الله، سوف يكرمكم الله به
Kullu mā tukhrijūna min śadaqatin, ibtighāʾ wajhi-llāh, sawfa yukrimukum Allāhu bi. |
The English quote is taken from the book The Message of The Qur'an by Muhammad Asad. It's an English translation and interpretation of sūrah (chapter) 30 "Ar-Rum" (The Byzantines) ayah (verse) 39, but the original verse in Arabic doesn't even remotely resemble the line spoken in-game, so it's most likely a back translation to Arabic. |
Unvoiced[]
Delegation: Please accept these simple gifts of indigo cloth, Kinkeliba tea, and one hundred porters carrying sacks of gold dust.
Accepts Delegation from Player: Though I want for nothing, the sincerity of your gift is its own blessing. I will accept your delegation.
Accepts Player's Declaration of Friendship: I am pleased that you should call me "friend," for I consider you a friend of mine.
Rejects Player's Declaration of Friendship: Your enthusiasm exceeds the reality of our situation. I cannot yet call you a friend of Mali.
Requests Declaration of Friendship: Do we not gain much from our bond? Shall we tell the world we stand as friends?
Player Accepts Declaration of Friendship: Yes! Praise God!
Player Rejects Declaration of Friendship: It cannot be so.
Denounced by Player: Serpent! Tempter! Wretch! Look to the hour of your chastisement, for it is coming soon!
Denounces Player: O God, why do you permit this dark-hearted one wield the power of kings? Bring down your wrath, O heaven!
Invitation to Capital: Shall we fill the empty places on our maps with the locations of our mutual capitals?
Invitation to City: Please, come visit the capital of Mali! It is a place of great learning—and profit, too.
Civilopedia entry[]
Mansa Musa was the descendant of the founder of the Empire of Mali, and a man whose personal wealth and piety still serve as worthy exemplars for emulation six centuries after his death. He is still believed to be the wealthiest person who ever lived. He nonetheless remained uncorrupted by money, using it as a tool to bring scholars and artists back to Mali to enrich his empire. The ancient city of Timbuktu in particular is associated with him, and its reputation as a center for trade and learning was a result of his efforts.
He was grandson of the Malian Empire's founder, Sundiata, and ascended to the throne around 1307. Little information about his reign has been found in western sources, until in 1324 when he undertook the Hajj—the pilgrimage to Mecca that devout Muslims undertake. However, Mansa Musa was no simple pilgrim.
His entourage is said to have consisted of 60,000 men, including 12,000 richly-dressed slaves. 500 slaves each carrying bags of gold dust or golden staves preceded him, with an additional train of gold-laden camels bringing up the rear. It is said that each night, when the caravan stopped, the pious Mansa Musa paid to have a mosque erected on the site. When the caravan arrived in Cairo, Musa produced a veritable rain of gold upon the city. Chroniclers and historians ran out of superlatives to describe his generosity. The economy of one of the world's greatest trading cities literally collapsed under a flood of gold. A historian stopping in Cairo 12 years after his visit found the locals still singing his praises, and the economy still recovering from the massive influx of gold—no mean feat, given that Cairo had borne witness to the rise and fall of countless rulers over the millennia, and the generally-world-weary chroniclers were not readily given to rhapsodies of praise.
During his Hajj, Musa recruited many Islamic scholars, scientists, and jurists from throughout the Islamic world, with the intention of resettling them in his empire to bring the latest learning to his subjects. During his absence, his general, Sagamandir, completed the conquest of the neighboring Songhai kingdom, adding the rich cities of Goa and Timbuktu to the Malian Empire. Mansa Musa returned home by touring his new conquests.
Timbuktu received imperial munificence. The Grenadan poet and architect Abu Ishaq al-Sahili was commissioned to construct new mosques (the Djinguereber mosque is maybe the most famous) and oversee an expansion of the University of Sankore. The distinctive earthen construction of these buildings is still renowned and iconic throughout the world. Sankore housed the largest collection of books in Africa—approximately a half million works—since the Library of Alexandria.
The exact dates of his death are uncertain, but most western sources give the year as 1332. He was succeeded by his son, Maghan Keita I. Mansa Musa left Mali a larger empire than he had received. Malian traders now ranged as far as Cairo, and students flocked to Timbuktu from across Africa. By all accounts, his personal behavior had been proper and moral (he nearly provoked a diplomatic incident by ignoring the sultan of Cairo in lieu of attending to his religious practices during the Hajj). He had raised Mali's profile to the world, while importing learning and ideas from other lands. His immense wealth had been a tool in his hands, not a means to an end, and Mali flourished under his stewardship.
Trivia[]
- Mansa Musa's diplomacy screen shows the outer wall of the Great Mosque of Djenné.
- Mansa Musa's leader ability references the region of northern Africa in which the trans-Saharan trade network flourished, while his leader agenda is one of his titles, referencing his ownership of the gold mines of Wangara.
- Mansa Musa wears a taqiyah on his head and gold rings on both hands. When defeated, he removes the rings from his right hand and drops them.
- Mansa Musa is the great-nephew of the other Malian leader, Sundiata Keita.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Related achievements[]
Treasures of Heaven and Earth
Win a game as Mansa Musa
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Hajj
As Mansa Musa, send a Trade Route to Mecca that gives the sending player at least 30 gold.
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See also[]
- Mansa Musa in other games