Built by the RICHEST Man Who EVER Lived: Djinguereber Mosque | Ancient Architects

Most incredible monuments featured on the Ancient Architects channel are usually made of stone, but Djinguereber Mosque in the heart of Timbuktu, Mali, is made entirely of earth, fibre, straw and wood.
It was a famous learning centre of Mali and built in 1327 from entirely organic materials. It was apparently the brainchild of Emperor Moussa I, the richest man who ever lived, after returning from Mecca. The mosque has survived nearly 700 years and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
Emperor Moussa I or Mansa Musa as he was also known, brought in an Andalusian architect from Cairo to build Djinguereber. Apparently the protruding beams were inspired by European buttresses and the conical minaret are inspired by Egyptian pyramids.
View the 3D models and animations on the Zamani Project website: zamaniproject.org/site-mali-t...
Djinguereber Mosque really is a one of a kind, an incredible ancient structure, made entirely of organic materials, that has stood the test of time. Watch this video to learn more.
All images are taken from Google Images and the Zamani Project animations for educational purposes only. Please subscribe to Ancient Architects, Like the video and please leave a comment below. Thank you.
#AncientArchitects #Timbuktu #Djinguereber

[@AncientArchitects]

Another old video that I’ve re-worked and now re-released. I was never happy with the audio, so I’ve re-edited it and re-made the video and freshened it up with the new logo and font too. New content coming this week! 👍

[@yarrlegap6940]

This wasn't a horrific slave labor job? ... Really? ... I've got an electric vehicle to sell you ...

[@JMM33RanMA]

I thought it was an updated video. The original may have failed to satisfy you, [but was excellent in it's own right]. However, the update was certainly worthwhile, and this edition is quite a bit better! Kudos for willingness to make old videos better, for being able to acknowledge changes due to additional information, and for continuous application of critical thinking. Well done Sideeqi Matt!

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thank you for bring this to us again. I don't remember having seen it before. I agree with leaving things for us to appreciate. And those whom are yet to come.

[@eardwulf785]

I didn't see the original upload but really enjoyed the content of this video. I saw a documentary quite some time ago about the maintenance of the mosque and it was Incredible. There were literally hundreds of the local people involved, some treading the mud, some moving it in a chain to the mosque and others passing it up to those precariously applying it.

[@krakendragonslayer1909]

Hey, I got an idea! Why not make a series of videos about every (European?) university, temple, palace and castle which is over 1000 years old and nowadays still in usage? In my country (Poland) we have only 2 such buildings (and 3 another which are over 900 years old). Since I live near one of them I can go and make a footage for you, and maybe an interview with a vicar of st. Wojciech's church.

[@ryanbowling1654]

The history of North Africa fascinates me. And needs to be more the center of focus with the close proximity and relationship with ancient Egypt, and other ancient cultures..

[@guilhermea2346]

Mali is not North Africa, it is from the northern part of Sub-Saharan Africa.

[@anonagain]

If anyone wants to learn more about the civilization that built this, I'd recommend Episode 7 - "The Songhai Empire - Africa's Age of Gold" on the channel "Fall of Civilizations" here on YT. Thanks Matt!

[@Danika_Nadzan]

HomeTeam History is another YT channel that did several short videos about Mansa Musa and also covers a lot of obscure African history.

[@mikefabbi5127]

Dude I love Paul Cooper. He's my rockstar! You're such a nerd.

[@ericcloud1023]

Awesome recommendation I absolutely love that channel! I'm currently in the process of listening to their latest upload on the nabatean civilization

[@larrysingleton2864]

@@Danika_Nadzan Here? 7. The Songhai Empire - Africa's Age of Gold kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZe4hWmCnad1j9U&ab_channel=FallofCivilizations

[@Ddub1083]

love me some fall of civilizations... second that recommendation.

[@skattyopt]

An oldie but a goodie

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks. Just re-worked and edited

[@harouttorkomian5897]

Matt, you're a scholar and a gentleman. Every time i see you've uploaded a new video it doesn't take me all but 2 seconds to drop everything i was doing to watch your content. I've never considered it, but your final statement about future video topics really got my interest piqued, and i have to suggest my ancestor's own country and the countless amount of topics worth covering within it. Armenia. It's not only ancient, but unfortunately a lot of people dont even know the country even exists. Hopefully this also interests you, and you present us with one of your amazing works of art regarding the topic.

[@Desh282]

That would be awesome

[@beaumershon3066]

THANK YOU MATT!!!

[@danfogleman4244]

Good job Matt . Love your videos and thank you for taking the time and putting your knowledge out there for someone like myself to get a little smarter . I appreciate your effort .

[@wizardwillbonner]

I enjoy your videos because I learn of places that I never knew about, but mainly you got me interested in ancient history! Thank you for that!

[@dougalexander7204]

I’m just a little old man and know very little about ancient history. I rely on you to bring us new and interesting material.

[@toddrouch7526]

Dude.... Such an Awesome video..... As usual you've shown me something I've never seen before. Awesomeness!! Thank you for sharing this with us Matt!!

[@billmiller4972]

As far as I know the mosque was found by the French more or less as a big pile of clay when they conquered the area and the re-build it with some Viollet-Le-Duc-like ideas before their eyes. So it might have looked very different when build. Nevertheless it is a rather un-impressive building.

[@Vandal_Savage]

Yup, apparently in 1907, the channel History Debunked spoke briefly about it... kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6iUhq1-i7GXoZo

[@StephiSensei26]

You always put together some very interesting ,material Matt.Thank you.

[@barrywalser2384]

Fascinating! Thank you for calling attention to these endangered sites. 👍🏼

[@meditationmusicbyalexjackson]

He also owned thousands of slaves, in fact he was the largest slave trader in history.

[@guilhermea2346]

In addition to being impossible to prove, it is ridiculously unlikely. Only transatlantic slavery initiated by Europeans in just 360 years managed to traffic more than half of more than 1000 years of slavery Islamic slavery.

[@aranciataesagerata2506]

Also la Motilla del Azuer, another bronze age structure in central Spain which could be related to the Argaric culture.

[@liamjones118]

Richest man who has ever lived is debatable. Just go by today, many rich individuals and families hide their wealth, so this could have possibly happened in the past as well.

[@AncientArchitects]

It’s all estimated. But it’s believed he had the most wealth, relatively speaking. Control of huge amounts of very pure African gold.

[@dreddykrugernew]

@@AncientArchitects where is the gold as we can trace where gold and other metals have come from, if he had the most gold in the world then that gold should be somewhere out here in the world, or is it just stories...

[@dreddykrugernew]

There is a documentary on the 'City of London' and how basically the city of London is the financial district Canary Wharf and so on, they have their own mayor, police, and army and have their own little Lords Mayor Parade in the city of London each year, very flamboyant, it was said in that documentary there are people with assets hidden worth £50tn.

[@catman8965]

I remember hearing about this before. I think PBS did a special on it, but much of it's history is lost. 😢😭 THANKS FOR REMEMBER IT.

[@AncientArchitects]

👍

[@paulking54]

Thanks for your investigation and hard work!!!

[@ShortbusMooner]

Still interesting!! 👍

[@rayn8740]

Thanks for highlighting this unique ancient structure. I would have liked a bit more history about the creator of the Djinguereber Mosque. How did he become the richest man in history, was it gold, salt, slaves or all of the above? Was it controlling the trade of such commodities to the region or beyond? How did he destabilize gold prices? That's an interesting story. Where did the slaves come from? Where did the gold come from? Where did the salt come from? What kind of wood was used at the mosque built at the edge of the desert? If it's a mile from the Niger River, where do they get their water from, a spring, a canal or a well? Cities usually pop up along rivers or water sources of some sort, why is Timbuktu so far away from the Niger? I don't think it's too much to ask for photos of the interior of a structure that warrants World Heritage Site designation. Especially since most of the planet's population will never have the opportunity to visit Mali or specifically, Timbuktu. Wasn't there anything available in the public domain?

[@solyluna4545]

Great video. Without you, I would never see this building in my whole life ..👍👍💖💖

[@TheTimeDetective42]

Great work! WOW!

[@jaberwoky_]

Always interesting, Matt. Are there any photos inside the structure or is that not permitted?

[@AncientArchitects]

I haven’t seen any. May well not be allowed.

[@jorgegonzalez-larramendi5491]

muslim: you are not even allowed to say that the "andalusian architect" actually was a christian enslaved and forced to "convert" .. like all the others

[@wrongfootmcgee]

gosh i dislike muslims so intensely it stings a little... why do they always talk like they are explaining something to a child? Don't they know their holy book is just a long case of plagiarism and attempted exoneration for muhammeds shitty ways? There is a great deal muslims DO NOT know. They do know how to reappropriate, that we can see. But to listen to a muslim explain god is like listening to a simple but mean spirited child tell you about what they did in preschool today and how it makes them unique.

[@Mikeey1]

I'm not sure they're interesting enough to the general public to warrant a video. But, in Cornwall there are a bunch of underground tunnels/passages that lead to nowhere and no one knows what they were for or why they are there or why they're only in west Cornwall. They're called Fogous. Would be interesting to see what you could dig up about them. They think they were built in the iron age, but beyond that I don't think they know anything about them. They've always fascinated me

[@kariannecrysler640]

I never actually knew more than the name Timbuktu. Thanks for teaching me stuff!

[@josephphoenix1376]

Excellent Episode... I.M glad to know some works of MANSA MUSA exist today!🤔

[@naalsocomment9449]

All what the most wealthiest guy who ever lived, left us is a not even moderate sized mosque made from mud? Why not something like Taj Mahal, Versailles, Angkor Wat, ...? What did he do with all his wealth? What happend with Timbuktu as being trade center and later center of knowledge? This should have left significant imprints in the region. A lot of trade centers in other places of the world are still important even until today.

[@harouttorkomian5897]

Islam happened. Along with everywhere else that got hit by it. 1000 year regression, at the very minimum.

[@dwarasamudra8889]

He wasn't really the wealthiest guy in history. He just owned a lot of gold, a lot of commodities and a lot slaves. The Mali Empire wasn't as technologically advanced as many other parts of the world. It was only considered rich because of its precious commodities, otherwise there was no real manufacturing sector of luxury products. Timbuktu was knowledge centre in the sense many Arabic manuscripts would be brought there. Otherwise, learning centres like Nalanda, Vikramshila, Baghdad, Alexandria, Athens, Oxford, Somapura, Isfahan, Chang'an etc were far more significant.

[@brixcosmo6849]

​@@harouttorkomian5897Islam happened!? There wouldn't be no Mali Empire without the conquests of the Umayyad Caliphate of all Arabia, Mesopotamia, Levante and North Africa in 7th Century. Who do you think converted Mali into islam!? Masa Musa was already born under the Islamic World and as a vassal of the Arabs. He ruked in 14th Century! Why do you thing he made a pilgrimage to Mecca!? Why do you think thousands of the scholars and visitors of Timbuktu were Arabs!? Timbuktu only florished under Islamic World. Before than wasn't even a permanent settlement.

[@edgarsnake2857]

Great coverage of a relatively obscure sight. Thanks Matt.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks mate

[@grugnotice7746]

I honestly don't see why anyone speaks highly of this architecture. There are termite hills that are more impressive. No ornamentation. No fine craftsmanship. Just a big pile of slop. Nothing at all like the beautiful works of Arab and Persian Muslims. Makes me think they didn't exactly send their best to work with this guy. Hope the quality of the scholars who taught there was higher than that of the architects.

[@dwarasamudra8889]

I think it looks cool and unique but I dont really think of it as architectural or engineering marvel like the monuments you would see in places like Egypt, Iran, Mesopatamia, India, China, Europe, South East Asia, Mezoamerica, Morocco or Central Asia

[@bradgillette9253]

Chaco Canyon! I would love to see what you can find. Thanks, again, for your fine work.

[@BudLarsenjr]

Pretty cool to see the Goa Gajah. What an intense carving.

[@aranciataesagerata2506]

Hello, regarding suggestions, what about the Bronze Age Argaric culture at southeast Spain (la Bastida and la Almoloya)? As far as I know it is very unusual!

[@Eyes_Open]

Interesting video. Thanks.

[@kawasakikev8905]

This was good the first time round , now you've made it better . thanks Matt .

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks Kev! Just finished a script for a new video and also my karahan Tepe model should be delivered this week?

[@EnforcementDronEd209]

Impressive site

[@brendonnel6593]

How about Great Zimbabwe? I've been looking for an excuse to go north to visit my brother. I'll take vids and photos for you

[@OblateSpheroid]

Commenting in support.

[@jsrcreators7847]

Hey man, please tell about our great Indian ancient architects, which is unpredictable 🧡

[@johnosullivan1480]

Makes me wonder how many structures made of these materials have been completely lost to history.

[@AncientArchitects]

I bet there are so many… across the world!

[@z0n4l1]

many stil exist like ziggurat in ur syria are build very simular

[@gombiloto]

Great video nevertheless Mansa musa's predecesor, Mansa Muhammad, should deserve its own video as he headed to America with thousands of men

[@Erteywie]

Hopefully this one stays. It'd be terrible if we needed a Timbukthree.

[@rinarou_]

Honestly, I wish my history teacher could show us your videos, the class could be easier with your explanations...

[@AncientArchitects]

That’s lovely to hear. My niece’s history teacher watches my videos 😂

[@JMM33RanMA]

If I were still teaching, I would definitely show some of these videos and provide a list of them for additional research. Flashy, inaccurate and outright fraudulent videos are so numerous that they tend to drown out the legitimate, accurate and thoughtful ones like this.

[@rinarou_]

@@AncientArchitects I guess the history teacher heard about you

[@nancyM1313]

Hi Matt🙂👌🏽

[@AncientArchitects]

Hi Nancy!

[@nancyM1313]

@@AncientArchitects Thanks for adding the links.

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

I love Islamic art & architecture. It's amazing that someone so wealthy built with mud brick, then banned the source of his wealth. Instituting spiritual & intellectual life in it's place. A profound character.

[@AncientArchitects]

There are some great videos and websites about him out there.

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

@@jorgegonzalez-larramendi5491 Try to remember that was all history & that the show goes on. I wouldn't exist if not for the far flung warlike activities of the British empire.

[@goplayonline]

Have you seen Kassel Germany? Incredible!

[@brixcosmo6849]

Built by Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, Muslim Architect and Poet born in Granada, Spain that joined Mansa Musa after his pilgrimage to Mecca. As other pieces using the Sudano-Sahelian Architecture style he built in Mali. Cool, but not even comparable to the Palace/Fortress of Allambra built in Granada, Spain in the 13th Century by the Nasrids (Emirate of Granada).

[@efethecaptain6]

"Wealth= indescribable" Just WOW

[@asdfghjsdfgg1841]

The two of the most fascinating religious monuments I've seen are hagia sophia and sagrada familia. They're very different but such impressive structures, not only the exterior but the interiors are breathtaking (each in it's own way). Unfortunately, I find the pictures of inside the sagrada familia do not compare the seeing it, they just don't capture how brilliance of the pillars and lighting.

[@KevinBreak]

How can it have no windows? How does it get ventilated? How do they see what they're doing inside? Doesn't it get hot?

[@analiviaminsk1171]

I saw a documentary showing the period of restauration, very amazing, a lot of happy people working with the mud. Covered in mud actually, strong felling of comunity, very nice to watch but I cant remember where I saw that, maybe in that netflix series Story of God, with Morgan Freeman, not sure

[@DimNarz]

Nice work as usual. There's a pyramid in Samoa that needs more investigation.

[@johndutchman]

Those worker families sure do fulfill a life-time warranty.

[@AnubisDark]

Is that the king that ordered an entire fleet and presumably sailed to americas?

[@diamondseeds2107]

Shrevanbengola India, check it out Matt!

[@T-bit]

There is some interesting stone henges in Scotland which are that old that the sea level is submerging them. This might be worth looking into. (I think its called the ring of brodgar)

[@sjain8111]

Matt has already done a video on that site but it’s worth revisiting

[@stewartesslemont663]

I can assure you that the Ring of Brodgar is not going to be submerged by the sea anytime soon, its on a elevated position beside a Loch.

[@boblee5524]

It is not the ring of Brodgar but one found not too far away in the Bay of Firth!

[@Eric.Swartz]

When I look at all the ancient ruins where only the foundations remain and even those are covered up, I wonder how an entire city can be destroyed so completely. This area is like a time capsule showing those cities were probably pretty fragile, and with weather, war, floods and fire, it is not surprising they can crumble away to nothing given enough time. Even the city walls are now just hills of dirt. Mud brick melts away and nice rock is repurposed elsewhere.

[@vickonstark7365]

👍🏼

[@deeparoyal7349]

Matt, Ancient Architect look into indigenous Floridians 😉 I have info for you to investigate.

[@scottowens1535]

Just imagine what Alexander's library had to say? He had the ability to scour the know world and buy or otherwise aquire the best of all know artifacts, book's and relic's. Hey that's a great subject. Give us a telling about That and the possibilities? I always figured the church has the best of the best left of things known. Shure would be great if they held some of the ancient stuff, bet they do! If any survived they'd have it.

[@sjTHEfirst]

Time to put a dome over it. Think of the jobs that would create.

[@mikefabbi5127]

Gosh Matt (I think it's Matt), add to your list, hmm. Those walls on the East coast of the U.S. that are remarkably similar to the ones in Ireland from that Irish monk who arrived before Columbus maybe cool. But that's not so ancient, it's up to you.

[@lisad1993]

Watcher did a Puppet History episode about him!

[@plightbody]

please have a look at the petroglyphs of west Australia, under threat gas aND mining companies

[@yakakiyakaki]

How about the Gosford Glyphs as well - apparently they tell a story about a shipwrecked Egyptian prince and his crew.

[@jakhan4203]

Can't get enough of your videos. Thank you 🤗

[@Clarkenth7047]

Adams calendar please

[@kevintownsend3840]

Imagine a man like him living today and giving away gold as he did back then. A rich man with a real heart of gold.

[@katjagolden893]

Get video Matt! This is the first time I have heard of him or his Mosque

[@AncientArchitects]

Fascinating place and man

[@brianmsahin]

Fantastic video Matt. The rich list must be a bit old, as at $253 billion,, Elon Musk is above Mir Osman Ali Khan. 😊 Though I understand the video isn't new! 😊

[@karenabrams8986]

Love your work. Thanks for sharing it.

[@gregsmith1719]

All ancient sites are worth looking at, Matthew. Especially ones we can feel a connection to. But, you can only do so much from just your computer. On the ground and touching it helps a lot. Thanks for all your videos!

[@thorstenwalter8715]

How is it inside?

[@charlesspeaksthetruth4334]

@@PatchouliPenny I've heard from people that's actually been in there, it's pretty cool.

[@PatchouliPenny]

@@charlesspeaksthetruth4334 nice! Is photography allowed?

[@messiah2animals229]

Noce

[@darkbluesheep2514]

Would love to see a video on the Great Zimbabwe Ruins

[@huwhitecavebeast1972]

Is it just me or was this video slowed down?

[@blackdotpatrick]

The richest man who ever lived didn't want to use stone? Cheapest man who ever lived?

[@saratov99]

Very unimpressive building.

[@lizeggar2421]

It would be very interesting to hear your take on the Zimbabwe Ruins. These are dated by archiologists as being around 500 years old. Nobody knows who built them, or why they were built. Current official thinking is that they were built by the Shona people. I cannot understand why they would have built something so beautiful and then reverted to living in mud huts again. It does not make sense. There is a school of thought, which seems more plausible, that they were built by Arab slave traders. Arab artifacts have been found there. There are several similar structures to be found around the south western parts of Zimbabwe.

[@brendonnel6593]

I thought so too. I'm also relatively close by if he needs more in person footage for it.

[@kordarron3501]

Plenty of people were living in mud huts in Europe or Asia when the greatest cathedrals or pagodas were built there too

[@shadeedmuhammad8107]

Yes but the video showed who build the original structure and looked Africans and was stated that they are of the same bloodline of the original builders. This can be seen around 4:06. It is funny how others always want to tell someone else story after they have told you what it was.

[@tonycharles3566]

Sheeeeeiiiiiiiii

[@Ilikefinalfantasy795]

we here fam.

[@AncientArchitects]

🙌

[@WilliamAudette]

2.3k views, 370 th like video dropped 55 min ago.

[@BnaBreaker]

If he was so rich, why'd he construct such an important structure out of mud and straw?

[@Alloneword-cp2xw]

That was their building style. Other styles, including stone, influenced it's design in their own way. It was cheaper too. He knew how to stay rich lol

[@geraldmeehan8942]

Thank you Matt. We were at 420.99 carbon parts per million in May of this year. It's going to be a struggle to preserve the mosque and Timbuktu

[@Airwave2k2]

Yeah getting carbon in the atmosphere and greening the Sahara could potentially end up in local climate change and rain so the mud bricks will wash away. This will be perhaps a great struggle for sure.

[@geraldmeehan8942]

@@Airwave2k2 They had previous problems with rain. The idea of planting trees across the southern edge of Sahara is only thing that might conceivably help

[@yesterdayschunda1760]

Gotta wonder where he found all the gold

[@Airwave2k2]

Is this a rhetorical question or you don't wanna go down the rabbit hole?

[@yesterdayschunda1760]

@@Airwave2k2 Obviously it was ancient aliens from the flat earth that gave him the gold, i thought that was obvious.

[@merlinwizard1000]

58th, 20 June 2022

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

I don't think i've seen anything from the Philippines.

[@Vandal_Savage]

Put it on a list - make it a target. Where have I heard that before... There's no point putting it on a list if it is not going to be protected. A vid on The Buddhas of Bamiyan please, if you haven't done one already...

[@triskeliand]

moenjendaro?

[@erikweijling7361]

Hi, great that you bring some focus to this historical site buid in 1327. For African standards it's a remarkeble structure. But every time I see a documentary like this one about sub saharan sites, I can't stop to wonder what disaster happened there. I mean, if you look at Cambridge univerity that was founded around 1209 or Oxford university that was founded even earlier around 1059 and are build completely out of durable stone and are still functioning today in their original form, why couldn't sub saharan people build anything like it?? He had the welth apearantly and there must be tons of stone laying around, but everything is build out of crap. And if it is such an iportant site or building, why is it only saved and protected when western people take an interest?? If Islamist are destroying Islamic sites, what the crap are westeners doing there?? And more over, it's not climate change distroying those sites, it's the people living there cutting down every tree in a 1000 Mile radius, cousing the sandstorms and the floods they're complaying about. (but western countries will help them out so why chanche your ways eh?)

[@JNCressey]

Maybe they just liked the aesthetic and feeling of mudbrick and rebuilding when required rather than stone and trying to make something last forever. It's not necessarily incompetence for buildings not to be made of stone. Regarding "Islamists destroying Islamic sites", there are multiple different Islamic groups, and these are extremists. It's would be like saying "Christians destroying Christian sites" to describe the KKK burning a black Church.

[@JNCressey]

@@DianaAtena, If what I said was shadow removed, I gave an analogy to a US Christian version to demonstrate he had no point about the supposed self conflict. I guess it triggered a filter.

[@ironcladranchandforge7292]

​@@AustinKoleCarlisle -- Join the club. I was more than just shadow banned recently........

[@iahwisha]

Stone isn't all that common in the sahel region but many stone structures were infact built there ( archaeological and records from Muslim Travellers indicate this). West africans were very much able to build architecture that suited their environment. Stone is used for retaining heat while mud is known for losing heat it would be more stupid to build from stone as mali is already one of the hottest areas in the world espically in building large gathering areas such as mosques everyone would've just died of heat stroke. U blame these people harshly for cutting down trees and say unintelligent things like " why change when westerners are there to help" as if mali doesn't still have to pay france huge sums of money as well as a host of other African countries and u can literally read about how France has destabilised areas such as this but I doubt u will so I won't get into that. Also why judge the poeple cutting down trees in order to survive but not judge westerners destroying entire ecosystems jsut for profit and vanity.

[@erikweijling7361]

@@iahwisha hi, thank you for sharing your opinion and knowlage. What you say is partially true and the part about france exploiting a lot of African countries is 100% true, but, and it's a big but, we're talking about a biulding that is almost 600 years old. The romans were gone from Africa (and never even reached that far) and no western Europen explorer had even the faintest dreams about colonising Africa. So why couldn't these people build anything lasting? In all meditaranian cultures and settlements (and especially the Greeks and Egiptians who build their world wonders 3000+ years ago) you see that to combat the heat, they build structures with thick stone walls. Again, if this guy was so fabulusly rich, why didn't he build his all holy out of stone? And if it is such a religious important site, why was it left to rot and deteriorate untill some Europeans took an interest in it and organised the restouration and maintainance? In that line of thought, exactly the same can be applied to the piramids (locals were using them as stone quarries for cenuries) and the sphinx, The tempel complexes in Cambodia and the piramids of the Inca empire. It's always western archeologists (and western money) that restore and preserve these sites. NEVER a local government or culture (people) who find this interesting. I wonder why that is.

[@duka1461]

For the richest man that ever lived, that structure looks preety crapy. Mud and sticks. Ha.

[@T-bit]

What makes me laugh is all the great efforts of the ancient past and we don't really make anything to rival them today. Thank you for your videos 👍🏻

[@professorkatze1123]

the richest guy ever and he lived in a glorified mudhut compound? wtf at least build in stone

[@TheStimie]

They don't

[@crystalinedreams6039]

thank you for sharing. even though i do not agree with their religion, i am with you that these are all beautiful historic buildings that i hope survive for many hundreds of years to come. so nice to see the descendants of the original builders working on it.

[@doctorspockARTS]

Are we just going to act like Genghis Kahn didn’t exist.

[@alexdunphy3716]

It's just a meme that he was the richest ever. If he actually was, then his greatest accomplishment wouldn't have been a relatively small building made from mud brick

[@brendonnel6593]

We still talking about him several hundred years later. That's quite the feat in my mind

[@Jenifahx]

During the colonization of Africa, many of the cultural artifacts were pillaged and transferred to Europe and North America. Westerners are ignorant by design.

[@alexdunphy3716]

@@Jenifahx uh-huh, and where are all these magnificent artifacts and architectural achievements than? If you recall we put everyone else's on display.

[@Alexis-ei7ku]

Idk how you deal with the sheer amount of ignoramus comments here but thank you for your work & I appreciate the highly detailed research and time that obviously goes into every video 😊 to a passive observer of archaeology & architecture it helps me understand better.

[@ludwigvanbeethoven61]

The richest man was Siddhartha Gautama, because he was able to achieve enlightenment during his lifetime!

[@AncientArchitects]

Is that worth more than $400bn? 😂

[@ludwigvanbeethoven61]

@@AncientArchitects It is probably worth everything ;-)

[@TheDgmccool]

How much is it 'worth'? Value is meaningless.

[@TheStimie]

Richest man in personal enlightenment yes, money no.

[@fatjoe66666666]

The richest man in the world to date is Andrew carnigie when no morgon bought carnigie steel for 315 billion in todays money

[@AncientArchitects]

Estimates for Musa are $400-600bn. But no-one knows for sure

[@TheStimie]

@@AustinKoleCarlisle he knew he was rich dummy

[@Lemma01]

Tbh, easier to repair a damaged mosque than to rewrite the books destroyed - think what we may have lost at the hands of the Spanish religious extremists in the c.16th Americas?

[@liamwinter4512]

Slavery must have been extraordinarily lucrative.

[@RealPlatoishere]

Bruh its looks like beggars house .....lol Can't beleive the richest man created such a crap ...