Mansa Musa was one of the most controversial leaders in all of Africa who believed he could trade by visiting other settlements and showing them his great wealth and power he had during his religious journey to Mecca. There has been a lot of question as to if he took this journey for his religion or another motivating factor. How did Mansa Musa make this journey about more than just religion? Mansa Musa may have used the gold to trade for salt, as he traveled near salt. “Salt was the critical trade product. Needed for taste, nutrition, dehydration, and food preservation. It was literally worth its weight in gold.” (Document B). Additionally, “The [people of Cairo] made incalculable profits out of him and his suite and his suite buying
