Mansa Musa's Salt: The White Gold of Mali

We all know Mansa Musa was rich in gold. But what about salt? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the salt trade that underpinned the Mali Empire's wealth. From the mines of Taghaza (a bleak Saharan outpost where slaves mined blocks of salt) to the bustling markets of Timbuktu and Niani, salt was literally worth its weight in gold. Lucas explains how the Mali Empire controlled the trans-Saharan salt routes, the brutal conditions at Taghaza described by Ibn Battuta, and the complex barter system where salt was exchanged for gold in the Wangara region. They also discuss the environmental and geopolitical factors that made salt so precious, the role of the dyula merchants, and how the decline of Mali's salt monopoly contributed to the empire's fall. Packed with vivid details from medieval sources, this episode reveals the humble mineral that made Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived. #MansaMusa #SaltTrade #MaliEmpire #Taghaza #IbnBattuta #TransSaharanTrade #WestAfrica #GoldSaltTrade #Dyula #Wangara #Timbuktu #Niani #FexingoHistory #History #MedievalAfrica #Sahara #CommodityHistory #AfricanEmpires Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo