Musa's Money

One boat, two families; trying to escape war in Syria, desperate to start a new life in Europe. In October 2013, dozens of migrants aboard that boat died, as it travelled across the Mediterranean Sea. But some eventually made it to Malta. What happened next? 

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How ordinary people – soldiers, mothers, nurses, even children – experienced World War One and the little-known human side of the world's first truly global conflict. With stories of love, loss, hope and fervour. 

This 14th Century sultan of Mali became renowned for being the richest man who ever lived. During his 25-year reign, he helped Mali become one of the wealthiest and largest nations in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Empire of Mali which flourished from 1200 to 1600 and was famous in the wider world for the wealth of rulers such as Mansa Musa. Mali was the largest empire in west Africa and for almost 400 years controlled the flow of gold from mines in the s ... Show More

At the height of the 18th Dynasty (c.1495 - 1441 BCE), King Men-kheper-Ra Djehuty-messu (aka Thutmose III) ruled Egypt. The start of his reign was unusual, with power wielded primarily by the Queen-King Hatshepsut. But following Hatshepsut's death, Thutmose would rise to the chal ... Show More

Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim (1616-1648) believed he was the sort of ruler that came out of legend, so he ordered a massive tax to fund the decoration of his palace in sable fur. He also preferred full-figured women and commissioned his advisers to find for him the largest woman in his ... Show More

Join Greg Jenner in medieval West Africa for a fun homeschool history lesson on Mansa Musa, ruler of the Mali Empire and the richest man to ever live. Hear the story of his legendary pilgrimage to Mecca, how his generosity once devalued gold in Cairo, and how his leadership impac ... Show More

Talk about making an impression: When emperor Mansa Musa went on a pilgramage from Timbuktu to Mecca, he gave away so much gold that he crashed the gold market in Cairo. Tune in and learn more about Musa and Timbuktu in this podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://ww ... Show More

After nearly two years, Mansa Musa finally completes his pilgrimage to Mecca. The trip is filled with tribulations, but the transformed king has prevailed. The spiritual journey may not erase the wrongdoings of his past, but it leads Musa to a peaceful self-acceptance. After his ... Show More

From Mesopotamian loan records which are over 4,000 years old to the cryptocurrencies of today, money has been with us for a long time. But how did we get from exchanging bits of metal or cowrie shells to the algorithmic trading of shares? Why did paper money originate in Song-dy ... Show More

Microsoft boss Bill Gates spent more than a decade as the richest person in the world, after becoming the youngest self-made billionaire in history.Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack follow his journey from venerated, nerdy entrepreneur to ruthless monopoli ... Show More