Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith

曼莎·穆萨：历史上最富有的人之一 -杰西卡·史密斯

翻译人员: Pengpeng Wang 校对人员: Melody Tang

If someone asked you who the richest people in history were,

如果有人问你，哪些人是历史上最富有的人

who would you name?

你会想到谁的名字？

Perhaps a billionaire banker or corporate mogul,

也许是坐拥亿万身家的银行家， 或是商业大亨

like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller.

诸如比尔·盖茨、约翰·D·洛克菲勒

How about African King Musa Keita I?

想想非洲国王穆萨·凯塔一世吧

Ruling the Mali Empire in the 14th century CE,

他在公元14世纪统治马里帝国 （中世纪西非强大的伊斯兰教帝国）

Mansa Musa, or the King of Kings,

本名为曼莎·穆萨，也被称为万王之王

amassed a fortune that possibly made him

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

one of the wealthiest people who ever lived.

事实上，他巨大的财富只是他留给后世 丰富的遗产中的冰山一角

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

当曼莎·穆萨在1312年取得政权时

When Mansa Musa came to power in 1312,

much of Europe was racked by famine and civil wars.

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

曼莎·穆萨在马里帝国的蓬勃发展 扮演了极重要的角色

to his own realm.

他将伊斯兰世界的繁荣成果引入了 自己的国家

By strategically annexing the city of Timbuktu,

通过战略性的进攻，曼莎·穆萨吞并了 廷巴克图地区

and reestablishing power over the city of Gao,

并在加奥市重新建立了政权

he gained control over important trade routes

他获得了在地中海与西非海岸间

between the Mediterranean and the West African Coast,

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,

马里帝国境内自然资源丰富

such as gold and salt.

盛产黄金，盐田万顷

The world first witnessed the extent of Mansa Musa's wealth in 1324

人们第一次见识到曼莎·穆萨的富有 是在1324年

when he took his pilgrimage to Mecca.

这一年，曼莎·穆萨踏上了他前往麦加 （伊斯兰教圣城）的朝圣之旅

Not one to travel on a budget,

在朝圣之路上，他不计成本

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

携带的物资可以延伸至目之所及的地方

关于这次朝圣的记录，多为人们口口相传

Accounts of this journey are mostly based on an oral testimony

and differing written records,

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

但是人们一致认为，这是一次 斥巨资的旅程

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

Chroniclers describe an entourage of tens of thousands of soldiers,

历史学者们称有大量随从参与了 这次朝圣，包括数万军人、

civilians,

平民以及奴隶

and slaves,

先遣团由500人组成，他们手握 金制权杖，身着丝制服装

500 heralds bearing gold staffs and dressed in fine silks,

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

为数甚多的骆驼与马身上驮着 大量的金条

他们沿途在开罗等城市停留

Stopping in cities such as Cairo,

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

据记载，他将大量金子用以

giving to the poor, buying souvenirs,

捐助穷人、购买纪念品

and even having mosques built along the way.

甚至沿途修建清真寺

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

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

causing mass inflation.

造成严重的通货膨胀

据记载，这次朝圣之旅持续了一年多

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

当曼莎·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,

马里帝国和国王曼莎·穆萨一时间 几乎成为了传奇

cemented by their inclusion on the 1375 Catalan Atlas.

而马里帝国被纳入1375年的加泰罗尼亚 地图则巩固了这一传奇

One of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe,

加泰罗尼亚地图是中世纪欧洲最重要的 世界地图之一

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

这个地图描绘了曼莎·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.

曼莎·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.

但是曼莎·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

曼莎·穆萨立即在巴克图修建了 津加利贝尔清真寺

with the help of an Andalusian architect.

这一清真寺由来自安达卢西亚 （西班牙一地区）的建筑家设计

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,

在曼莎·穆萨的统治下， 马里帝国完成了城市化

with schools and mosques in hundreds of densely populated towns.

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

曼莎·穆萨国王的富有传奇被代代流传

and to this day, there are mausoleums, libraries and mosques

时至今日，这些王室陵寝、图书馆， 以及清真寺仍旧伫立

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

作为马里帝国历史辉煌时期的证明