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Timbuktu, City of Scholarship

Type Object Region West Africa Time c. 1100–1591

Timbuktu, on the middle Niger, was an important West African trading town and scholarly center from the Mali Empire onward, flourishing under Songhai…

Timeline

  1. c. 1100–1325Timbuktu · MaliTimbuktu rose on the trans-Saharan trade routes, becoming a relay station for the salt, gold, and slave trades, and was gradually brought within the Mali Empire's sphere of influence.
  2. c. 1400–1492Timbuktu · MaliAfter Songhai forces took control of Timbuktu in the early 15th century, the city attracted Arab and African scholars to settle; institutions such as the Sankore madrasa prospered, and manuscript copying and the study of Islamic jurisprudence reached their peak.
  3. 1493–1528Timbuktu · MaliAskia Muhammad carried out Islamic reforms and patronized scholarship; Timbuktu became a symbol of West African Islamic civilization, with scholars gathering and libraries and madrasas expanding in scale.
  4. 1591Timbuktu · MaliMoroccan troops occupied Timbuktu and sacked the city; large numbers of manuscripts were lost, the Songhai Empire collapsed, and Timbuktu's status as a regional scholarly center declined sharply.

Sources