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Mansa Musa's Diplomatic Gift Exchange Across Africa and the Middle East
In the 14th century, Mansa Musa didn't just dazzle Cairo with gold during his Hajj — he strategically exchanged lavish gifts with rulers from the Mamluk Sultanate to the Marinid Sultanate of Morocco. This episode explores the sophisticated diplomatic gift economy of the Mali Empire, from the horses, ivory, and gold dust sent to Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad to the ceremonial robes and exotic animals that flowed back. Drawing on Al-Umari's accounts and Ibn Battuta's later observations, we uncover how Mansa Musa used gift-giving as a tool of statecraft, embedding Mali in a network of…
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