Mansa Musa was the emperor of the West African Mali Empire in the early 14th century. He embraced Islam and brought stability and good government during his rule. Mansa Musa went on a famous pilgrimage to Mecca, bringing enormous wealth in gold that he distributed generously along the way. His spending nearly caused an economic crisis in Egypt due to the influx of gold. Though a good leader, Mansa Musa's pilgrimage highlighted both his pious nature and inadvertently destabilized some economies through his generous giving of gold.