who would you name?

你會想起誰?

Perhaps a billionaire banker or corporate mogul,

或許是一個銀行億萬富翁又或者是商業富豪，

like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller.

像是比爾蓋茲或是約翰·戴維森·洛克菲勒。

How about African King Musa Keita I?

那曼薩·穆薩那呢?

Ruling the Mali Empire in the 14th century CE,

在14世紀時，治理了馬里帝國，

Mansa Musa, or the King of Kings,

曼薩·穆薩，也稱為王中之王，

amassed a fortune that possibly made him one of the wealthiest people who ever lived.

擁有的財富可能使他成為在世上最富有的人。

But his vast wealth was only one piece of his rich legacy.

但是這樣龐大的財富只是他的一部分的傳奇。

When Mansa Musa came to power in 1312,

當1312年曼薩·穆薩掌權時，

much of Europe was racked by famine and civil wars.

大部分歐洲都陷入饑荒和內戰中。

But many African kingdoms and the Islamic world were flourishing,

但多數非洲國家和伊斯蘭世界正在崛起，

and Mansa Musa played a great role in bringing the fruits of this flourishing to his own realm.

在馬里帝國的崛起中，曼薩·穆薩就是一位非常重要的人物。

By strategically annexing the city of Timbuktu,

藉著有策略性的合併Timbuktu城市，

and reestablishing power over the city of Gao,

和重建對Gao城市的控制權，

he gained control over important trade routes between the Mediterranean and the West African Coast,

他得以控制地中海和西非海岸間的重要貿易路線，

continuing a period of expansion, which dramatically increased Mali's size.

這樣持續的擴張貿易路線而擴張了馬里的版圖。

The territory of the Mali Empire was rich in natural resources,

馬里帝國的領土有豐富的自然資源，

such as gold and salt.

像是金和鹽。

The world first witnessed the extent of Mansa Musa's wealth in 1324 when he took his pilgrimage to Mecca.

世人第一次見識到曼薩·穆薩的富有程度，是在他1324年前往麥加的朝聖之旅，

Not one to travel on a budget,

不需要考慮旅行預算，

he brought a caravan stretching as far as the eye could see.

他帶著綿綿不斷的旅行隊。

Accounts of this journey are mostly based on an oral testimony and differing written records,

這個旅程主要是根據口頭證明和不同的書面紀錄，

so it's difficult to determine the exact details.

所以無法知道確切的細節。

But what most agree on is the extravagant scale of the excursion.

但是唯一可以同意的是，是個奢侈的旅程。

Chroniclers describe an entourage of tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and slaves,

編年史家記載的隨從有成千上萬的軍人，平民，和奴隸，

500 heralds bearing gold staffs and dressed in fine silks,

500位使者擔著金子，身穿上等絲綢，

and many camels and horses bearing an abundance of gold bars.

許多駱駝和馬也扛著無數金條。

Stopping in cities such as Cairo,

在開羅等城市停留時，

Mansa Musa is said to have spent massive quantities of gold,

據說曼薩·穆薩已花重金，

giving to the poor, buying souvenirs,

在救濟貧困和買紀念品，

and even having mosques built along the way.

甚至在一路上建立許多的清真寺。

In fact, his spending may have destabilized the regional economy,

事實上，他的花費可能使得地方經濟不穩定，

causing mass inflation.

造成嚴重的通貨膨脹。

This journey reportedly took over a year, and by the time Mansa Musa returned,

這個旅程據說費時超過一年。而當曼薩·穆薩回國時，

tales of his amazing wealth had spread to the ports of the Mediterranean.

他的故事已傳遍了地中海的港口。

Mali and its king were elevated to near legendary status, cemented by their inclusion on the 1375 Catalan Atlas.

在1375年的Catalan Atlas地圖中，馬里和曼薩·穆薩成了個傳奇，

One of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe,

一份中世紀歐洲最重要的世界地圖中，

it depicted the King holding a scepter and a gleaming gold nugget.

描繪了曼薩·穆薩拿著權杖和一個閃亮的金塊。

Mansa Musa had literally put his empire and himself on the map.

曼薩·穆薩把他的帝國和他自己放在地圖上，

But material riches weren't the king's only concern.

但物質的富有並不是國王唯一的顧慮。

As a devout Muslim, he took a particular interest in Timbuktu,

作為一個虔誠的穆斯林，曼薩·穆薩對於Timbuktu特別有興趣，

already a center of religion and learning prior to its annexation.

Timbuktu已是一個宗教和學習中心。

Upon returning from his pilgrimage,

在從朝聖之旅回來之前，

he had the great Djinguereber Mosque built there with the help of an Andalusian architect.

在一位安達魯西亞建築師的幫助下，曼薩·穆薩在那建了宏偉的Djinguereber清真寺。

He also established a major university, further elevating the city's reputation,

曼薩·穆薩也建了一間主要的大學，進一步的提升城市的名聲，

and attracting scholars and students from all over the Islamic world.

吸引世界各地的伊斯蘭學者和學生。

Under Mansa Musa, the Empire became urbanized,

在曼薩·穆薩治理下，帝國成功都市化，

with schools and mosques in hundreds of densely populated towns.

在上百個人口高度密集的城鎮中有學校和清真寺。

The king's rich legacy persisted for generations and to this day,

國王富裕的傳奇傳到至今，

there are mausoleums, libraries and mosques

有壯麗的墳墓，圖書館，和清真寺

that stand as a testament to this golden age of Mali's history.

這些就像是去證明馬里歷史上的黃金時期。