Latest / Mansa Musa: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived — Fexingo History / Mansa Musa's Copper: The Overlooked Metal of Mali
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've spent a lot of time talking about Mansa Musa's gold — the pilgrimage, the crash in Cairo, the Wangara trade networks. But there's another metal that was almost as important in the Mali Empire, and it rarely gets the spotlight. Luna: Copper? Lucas: Exactly. Copper. And not just as a decorative metal — it was a currency, a status symbol, and a key trade good that moved across the Sahara alongside salt and gold. In fact, for many people in West Africa, copper was more commonly used in daily transactions than gold itself. Lucas: Gold was largely controlled by the state and used for long-distance trade and prestige. But copper — well, copper was everywhere. It came in different forms: bars, rods, armlets, and even ingots shaped like crosses or 'manillas'. Luna: Where did the copper come from? Was it mined in Mali? Lucas: That's the interesting part. Mali itself didn't have significant copper deposits — at least not compared to other regions. The main source was Takedda, a town in what's now Niger, about a thousand kilometers northeast of Niani. Takedda was famous for its copper mines, and it was a key stop on the trans-Saharan trade route. Lucas: Ibn Battuta visited Takedda in the 1350s, after Mansa Musa's reign, and he described the copper there in detail. He said the copper was exported to the 'land of the blacks' — meaning the Mali Empire — in the form of bars. Each bar was worth about 300 mithqals of gold. That's an enormous value. Luna: 300 mithqals? That's like... over a kilogram of gold? Lucas: Yeah, roughly. A mithqal was about 4.25 grams, so 300 mithqals is about 1.3 kilograms of gold. So a single copper bar from Takedda was worth a fortune. But copper wasn't just valuable in Mali — it was also used as currency in the Sahara itself. Lucas: The Tuareg and other Berber groups used copper as a medium of exchange, along with salt and cloth. And when it got down to the Sahel, the Wangara traders would break it down into smaller pieces — rods or rings — that could be used for everyday purchases. Luna: So copper was like the silver of West Africa? Lucas: That's a great way to put it. Silver was rare in West Africa, so copper filled that role. But it also had a cultural significance that went beyond money. Copper armlets, for example, were worn by nobles and warriors as a sign of wealth and status. And they were often buried with the dead. Lucas: There's also evidence that copper was used in the production of certain types of currency — like the 'mande' or 'kourou' — which were copper rods of standardized weight. The farbas, the provincial governors, would collect taxes in copper as well as in kind. Luna: Did Mansa Musa himself trade in copper? Lucas: Indirectly, yes. The state controlled the copper trade through the dyula traders, who were licensed by the king. Copper came in through Takedda and also from other sources — there were copper mines in the Sahara, like at Tadmekka, and even some in the Aïr mountains. But the Mali Empire didn't directly own those mines; it was more about controlling the trade routes and taxing the merchants. Lucas: One of the fascinating things is that copper was often used in exchange for slaves. Ibn Battuta mentions that in Takedda, slaves were bought with copper bars. So there's a darker side to this trade as well. Luna: Right, the slave trade was intertwined with everything. Lucas: Exactly. And it's important to remember that the trans-Saharan trade wasn't just about gold and salt — it was a whole system where copper, cloth, cowrie shells, spices, and slaves all moved. Copper was one of the key commodities that kept the system running. Lucas: Now, there's an interesting contrast with other parts of the world. In Europe, copper was relatively common and not as highly valued. But in West Africa, because of the scarcity and the association with wealth, copper became a prestige metal. Some of the most impressive artifacts from the Mali period are copper or bronze — like the famous Tada figurine, though that's from a bit later. Luna: Bronze is copper and tin, right? Did they have tin? Lucas: Good question. Tin was also traded, but it wasn't as abundant. Most of the bronze objects in West Africa were actually made from copper alloys that included tin or zinc. The Igbo Ukwu bronzes in Nigeria, for example, used a complex alloy. But in Mali, they tended to work with almost pure copper, hammered or cast. Lucas: There's also evidence of copper being used in architecture — like the copper plaques that may have adorned the doors of the Djinguereber mosque in Timbuktu. Al-Sahili, the architect from Andalusia, might have incorporated copper into his designs. Luna: So copper was everywhere, from money to mosques. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a reminder that the wealth of Mali wasn't just about a single metal — it was about a whole ecosystem of trade and craftsmanship. Copper was the everyday currency of power, and it's worth remembering when we talk about Mansa Musa's riches. Luna: It makes you wonder what other overlooked commodities were just as important. Lucas: Oh, for sure. We could do a whole episode on salt, or cloth, or even kola nuts. But copper is a great example of how complex the economy really was. And it's a metal that has left traces in the archaeological record, so we can actually study it. Lucas: So next time you hear about Mansa Musa's gold, remember that in the markets of Niani or Timbuktu, you might have been more likely to pay with a copper rod than a gold nugget. Luna: That's a great way to end. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. And to our listeners — think about what other stories might be hiding in the shadows of history. We'll be back next time.