Final answer:
Mansa Musa's journey to Mecca increased European fascination with African wealth, influencing exploration and the eventual development of new trade routes to Africa. It also caused significant inflation in Cairo and strengthened Islamic education and architecture in West Africa.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca had a profound impact on Europe by heightening interest in African civilizations and their wealth. His display of opulence during the pilgrimage, especially in Cairo, showcased the formidable wealth of the Mali Empire. This spectacle sparked a heightened European interest in the sources of this wealth and directly influenced the later European explorations for gold and other commodities, motivating explorers to seek new trade routes to Africa, particularly in the hopes of uncovering similar riches.
The repercussions of Mansa Musa's lavish spending were immediate and tangible, as the gold he generously distributed led to inflation in Cairo that lasted for over a decade. Europeans were captivated by the tales of Mansa Musa's wealth, further piqued by the geography depicted in sources like the Catalan Atlas, and driven by the economic motivation to connect to these affluent African trade networks. Mansa Musa's journey, thus, became a catalyst for future European expeditions, indirectly contributing to the Age of Discovery.
Moreover, Mansa Musa's return to Mali with a caravan that included Muslim scholars and architects led to the strengthening of Islamic educational and architectural institutions in West Africa, particularly in Timbuktu, which later gained renown as a center of learning and culture in the Islamic world.