Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire in West Africa in the early 14th century and is often counted among the wealthiest people in history. Mali controlled the trade in salt from the north and in gold mined to the south, and by some estimates it supplied a large share of the gold circulating in the medieval Mediterranean. In 1324 Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca with a huge entourage carrying vast quantities of gold, and in Cairo his generous spending reportedly lowered the value of gold there. He expanded the empire to include Gao and Timbuktu and invited scholars from the wider Muslim world, helping make Timbuktu a centre of Islamic learning.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.