<P> Contemporary sources suggest that the mounts employed by this caravan were one hundred elephants, which carried those loads of gold, and several hundred camels, carrying the food, supplies and weaponries which were brought to the rear . </P> <P> Musa took out large loans from money lenders in Cairo before beginning his journey home . It is not known if this was an attempt to correct the depreciation of gold in the area due to his spending, or if he had simply run out of the funds needed for the return trip . Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds . Consequently, the name of Mali and Timbuktu appeared on 14th century world maps . </P> <P> While on the hajj, he met the Andalusian poet and architect es - Saheli . Mansa Musa brought the architect back to Mali to beautify some of the cities . But more reasoned analysis suggests that his role, if any, was quite limited . The architectural crafts in Granada had reached their zenith by the fourteenth century, and its extremely unlikely that a cultured and wealthy poet would have had anything more than a dilettante's knowledge of the intricacies of contemporary architectural practice . Mosques were built in Gao and Timbuktu along with impressive palaces also built in Timbuktu . By the time of his death in 1337, Mali had control over Taghazza, a salt producing area in the north, which further strengthened its treasury . </P> <P> That same year, after the Mandinka general known as Sagmandir put down yet another rebellion in Gao, Mansa Musa came to Gao and accepted the capitulation of the King of Ghana and his nobles . This included Ali Killun / Kolon and his brother Selmar Nar from the Za Dynasty, whom would later be appointed as page of the court of Mali around 1335 . </P>

What are the characteristics of the kingdom of mali