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If someone asked you who the richest people in history were, who would you name?
如果有人问你，哪些人是历史上最富有的人，你会想到谁的名字？
Perhaps a billionaire banker or corporate mogul, like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller.
也许是坐拥亿万身家的银行家，或是商业大亨，诸如比尔·盖茨、约翰·D·洛克菲勒。
How about African King Musa Keita I?
那非洲国王穆萨·凯塔一世呢？
Ruling the Mali Empire in the 14th century CE, Mansa Musa, or the King of Kings,
他在公元14世纪统治马里帝国，本名为曼萨·穆萨，也被称为万王之王，
amassed a fortune that possibly made him one of the wealthiest people who ever lived.
他积累了巨大的财富，这些财富让他成为历史上最富有的人之一。
But his vast wealth was only one piece of his rich legacy.
但他巨大的财富只是他留给后世丰富的遗产中的冰山一角。
When Mansa Musa came to power in 1312, much of Europe was racked by famine and civil wars.
当曼萨·穆萨在1312年取得政权时，同时期的欧洲大部分地区正饱受着饥荒与内战的折磨。
But many African kingdoms and the Islamic world were flourishing,
但是许多非洲的王国和伊斯兰世界却正蓬勃发展，
and Mansa Musa played a great role in bringing the fruits of this flourishing to his own realm.
曼萨·穆萨在将该繁荣成果引入了自己的国家当中扮演了极重要的角色。
By strategically annexing the city of Timbuktu, and reestablishing power over the city of Gao,
通过战略性的进攻，曼萨·穆萨吞并了廷巴克图地区，并在加奥市重新建立了政权，
he gained control over important trade routes between the Mediterranean and the West African Coast,
他获得了在地中海与西非海岸间重要商贸路线的控制权，
continuing a period of expansion, which dramatically increased Mali's size.
他不断扩张，极大地增加了马里帝国的领土范围。
The territory of the Mali Empire was rich in natural resources, such as gold and salt.
马里帝国境内自然资源丰富，盛产黄金，盐田万顷。
The world first witnessed the extent of Mansa Musa's wealth in 1324 when he took his pilgrimage to Mecca.
人们第一次见识到曼萨·穆萨的富有是在1324年，这一年，曼萨·穆萨踏上了他前往麦加的朝圣之旅。
Not one to travel on a budget, he brought a caravan stretching as far as the eye could see.
在朝圣之路上，他不计成本，携带的物资可以延伸至目之所及的地方。
Accounts of this journey are mostly based on an oral testimony and differing written records,
关于这次朝圣的记录，多为人们口口相传，文献记载上也存有许多不同的说法，
so it's difficult to determine the exact details.
所以很难详尽地描述朝圣途中的细节。
But what most agree on is the extravagant scale of the excursion.
但是人们一致认为，这是一次斥巨资的旅程。
Chroniclers describe an entourage of tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and slaves,
历史学者们称有大量随从参与了这次朝圣，包括数万军人、平民以及奴隶，
500 heralds bearing gold staffs and dressed in fine silks, and many camels and horses bearing an abundance of gold bars.
先遣团由500人组成，他们手握金制权杖，身着丝制服装，为数甚多的骆驼与马身上驮着大量的金条。
Stopping in cities such as Cairo, Mansa Musa is said to have spent massive quantities of gold,
他们沿途在开罗等城市停留，据记载，他将大量金子
giving to the poor, buying souvenirs, and even having mosques built along the way.
用以捐助穷人、购买纪念品，甚至沿途修建清真寺。
In fact, his spending may have destabilized the regional economy, causing mass inflation.
事实上，他这一大肆出资的举动，很可能使当地经济变得不稳定，造成严重的通货膨胀。
This journey reportedly took over a year, and by the time Mansa Musa returned,
据记载，这次朝圣之旅持续了一年多，当曼萨·穆萨回到马里帝国的时候，
tales of his amazing wealth had spread to the ports of the Mediterranean.
关于他拥有数目惊人的财富的消息，已经传遍了地中海各地。
Mali and its king were elevated to near legendary status, cemented by their inclusion on the 1375 Catalan Atlas.
马里帝国和国王曼萨·穆萨一时间几乎成为了传奇，而马里帝国被纳入1375年的加泰罗尼亚。
One of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe, it depicted the King holding a scepter and a gleaming gold nugget.
加泰罗尼亚地图是中世纪欧洲最重要的世界地图之一，描绘了曼萨·穆萨一手握权杖，一手托着闪闪发亮的金块的场景。
Mansa Musa had literally put his empire and himself on the map.
曼萨·穆萨真的将马里帝国和他本人放入地图里。
But material riches weren't the king's only concern.
但是曼萨·穆萨并不只关注物质上的富裕。
As a devout Muslim, he took a particular interest in Timbuktu,
作为一个虔诚的穆斯林教徒，他对廷巴克图地区有着极大的向往，
already a center of religion and learning prior to its annexation.
在被吞并前，廷巴克图已是西非的文化和学术中心。
Upon returning from his pilgrimage,
在完成了朝圣之旅后，
he had the great Djinguereber Mosque built there with the help of an Andalusian architect.
在一位安达卢西亚建筑师的帮助下，他在那里建造了津加利贝尔清真寺。
He also established a major university, further elevating the city's reputation,
他还在此修建了重点的大学，进一步提升这座城市的声誉，
and attracting scholars and students from all over the Islamic world.
并吸引了许多来自伊斯兰世界的专家与学生。
Under Mansa Musa, the Empire became urbanized, with schools and mosques in hundreds of densely populated towns.
在曼萨·穆萨的统治下，马里帝国完成了城市化，人口稠密的数百个城镇拥有学校和清真寺。
The king's rich legacy persisted for generations and to this day,
这位国王的富有传奇被代代流传，时至今日，
there are mausoleums, libraries and mosques that stand as a testament to this golden age of Mali's history.
这些王室陵寝、图书馆以及清真寺仍旧伫立，作为马里帝国历史辉煌时期的证明。
