(TIML FOOD4THOUGHT) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest man in the world, with a net worth of $118 billion. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, his fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffet rank just behind him.
But he’s still far from African emperor Musa I of Mali, who is thought to be the richest person of all time — “richer than anyone could describe,” reported Time.
Literally. His fortune was incomprehensible, Time’s Jacob Davidson writes: “There’s really no way to put an accurate number on his wealth.” Plus, since accounts of his wealth stem from centuries-old testimony, it’s possible that some stories about the “mansa” — Mandinka for “sultan” or “emperor” — were exaggerated.
We do know for a fact that Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire in the 14th century and his land was laden with lucrative natural resources, most notably gold. He was also a successful military leader, having captured 24 cities, according to David C. Conrad’s “Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay.” But it was his Islamic faith that prompted him to make his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, thus exposing his extraordinary riches to the outside world.