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Ahmad Baba

Type Figure Region West Africa Time c. 1556–1627 Also known as Ahmad Baba of Timbuktu、Aḥmad Bābā al-Tinbuktī

Renowned Timbuktu jurist and bibliographer (c. 1556–1627) who served as chief qadi in the 1580s and compiled a directory of Timbuktu scholars and wor…

Timeline

  1. 1581–1585Timbuktu · TimbuktuBy the early 1580s Ahmad Baba was teaching at scholarly centers such as the Sankore mosque in Timbuktu, renowned for Maliki jurisprudence and hadith studies, attracting students from the Maghreb and across West Africa; his personal library and writings were unmatched in West African scholarship.
  2. 1586–1590Timbuktu · TimbuktuIn the late 1580s he became chief qadi of Timbuktu, presiding over Islamic justice while continuing to write legal and historical works, including a catalog of local scholars and manuscripts. During this period his relations with Askia Ishaq's court were tense and the political environment grew increasingly unstable.

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