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Mansa Musa's Hajj Economics: The Gold Crash of Cairo
In 1324, Mansa Musa's legendary pilgrimage to Mecca didn't just showcase Mali's wealth — it crashed the Cairo gold market for over a decade. This episode traces the economic ripple effects of the emperor's spending spree through Mamluk Egypt, drawing on the accounts of al-Umari and al-Maqrizi. We explore how Musa's generous distribution of gold in Cairo, Medina, and Mecca devastated local gold prices, the diplomatic fallout with Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, and the surprising ways the Malian treasury adjusted its monetary policy afterward. Along the way, we examine the…
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