A Day in Timbuktu, 1324 AD (The Richest Man in History Was About To Break Egypt)

In October 1324, a West African king walked out of Timbuktu with 60,000 people, 8,000 camels and 5 tons of gold. By the time he reached Cairo, he had given away so much gold that he crashed Egypt's economy for 12 years. His name was Mansa Musa. He is still, 700 years later, the richest person who has ever lived. But this isn't his story. This is the story of Fatimata, a 14-year-old scribe's daughter in Timbuktu — the city Mansa Musa left behind. Her father walks away with the caravan that morning. She stays. In the next two years she will become the youngest full-time female scholar at the Sankore Mosque, copy the Book of Healing by Ibn Sina for 20 silver dirhams, and witness the arrival of the man who will rebuild her city forever. This is a day in the life of Timbuktu, 1324 AD — the richest city in Africa, the biggest book market on Earth, and home to a university older than Oxford. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Hooks — 5 reasons Mansa Musa broke the world 02:30 Promise 03:10 The Mali Empire in 1324 08:10 5 AM — Fatimata wakes up 15:40 Noon — the stolen manuscript 26:00 Afternoon — the scriptorium at Sankore 37:00 Evening — the messenger arrives 40:00 Two years later — the caravan returns 📚 SOURCES • Levtzion, Nehemia. "Ancient Ghana and Mali" • Hunwick, John. "Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire" • Al-Umari, Ibn Fadl Allah. "Masalik al-absar" (14th c.) • Ibn Battuta. "Rihla" — journey to Mali (1352-54) • UNESCO reports on the manuscripts of Timbuktu 🔔 SUBSCRIBE If you like history told through the people who actually lived it, hit subscribe. New video coming soon: A Day in Angkor, 1150 AD — the lost jungle city of 1 million. #History #Timbuktu #MansaMusa #AncientHistory #AfricanHistory #MedievalHistory #Mali