The Legend of How Mansa Abu Bakr II of Mali Gave up the Throne to Explore the Atlantic Ocean

Mansa (meaning king, emperor or sultan) Abu Bakr II was a 14th century ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. This period of time, i.e. the 14th century, was a time when the Mali Empire had reached its pinnacle.

The wealth of the Mali Empire can be seen in the famous pilgrimage of Mansa Musa (Abu Bakr II’s immediate successor) to Mecca. According to Arab historians, this ruler spent so much gold during his pilgrimage that the “rate of the gold dinar fell by six [silver] dirhams”.

The empire’s peace and stability may have allowed a rather bizarre episode in Abu Bakr’s reign to take place. According to Syrian historian, al-Umari (who met Musa in Cairo) the Malian ruler’s predecessor had abdicated his throne so that he could explore the Atlantic Ocean.

The Story of Abu Bakr from His Successor

Very little is known about the life of Abu Bakr, and the only known written account about him at present may be found in the work of al-Umari. It may be interesting to note that this account of Abu Bakr comes from the mouth of his successor, Musa, and seems to be an explanation of how the latter came to power. One English translation of al-Umari’s conversation with Musa is as follows,