Mansa Musa probably viewed his pilgrimage as fulfillment of
a obligation of his faith. He perhaps also saw it as an adventure and an
opportunity to advance his prestige and legitimacy as a ruler both at home and
in the larger Islamic World.
To the Egyptians, all the gold brought by Mansa Musa must
have drawn much attention, even though it may have caused depression of gold prices.
The willingness of his followers to pay over the odds for goods must have thrilled
merchants and traders.
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To the Arabs, his devout completion of the hajj pilgrimage
rituals in Arab would have strengthened the notion that he was a devout Muslim.
His effort to recruit Sharifs for his Kingdom could have strengthened his image
as a devout ruler.
Since Europeans had no direct contact with Mansa Musa, their
view of him was probably shaped by secondhand stories of how remarkable the amounts
of his gold and how impressive his entourage was, so they would view Musa mostly
as a rich and powerful monarch.
