In the 14th century - Mansa Musa - the ruler of the kingdom of Mali in West Africa - went on a Hadj to Mecca. To impress all that he met he had a retinue of as many as 60,000 - and brought with him 20 tons of gold. This has made many dub Mansa Musa the richest person in history. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only, varies by plan. 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year while subscription is active. Sources https://magazine.northwestern.edu/features/caravans-of-gold-fragments-in-time/a-golden-age-king-mansa-musas-reign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa_Musa https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47379458 Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catalan_Atlas_BNF_Sheet_6_Mansa_Musa_(cropped).jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices