Resource: Timbuktu

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Under the patronage of Emperor Mansu Moussa in the 14th century, the architect Abu Ishaq Ibrahim es-Saheli was commissioned to design the Sankore mosque of Timbuktu, around which the University of Sankore was established. The mosque is architecturally remarkable for its large pyramidal mihrab, a niche in the wall of a mosquethat indicates the direction of Mecca, which Muslims turn toward during prayer. The mosque still stands today, due in part to the wooden framework that was built into the mud walls which expedites repairs after winter downpours.

The city of Timbuktu was founded in the 11th century by North African nomads on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Mali, West Africa. Located near salt mines, the city became a central port in trans-Saharan trade. Caravans hauled salt from the Sahara Desert to trade for gold brought along the Niger River from the south.

Mansu Moussa, emperor of the Mali Empire, captured Timbuktu in 1325. Under Moussa’s reign, the city flourished as a major cultural center of the Islamic world. Timbuktu grew in prosperity and sophistication, and attracted and produced the finest scholars, poets and artists of Africa and the Middle East. Moussa erected great mosques, Islamic universities and vast libraries throughout his empire. Under his patronage was the architect-scholar Abu-Ishaq Ibrahim-es-Saheli who helped turn Timbuktu into a city renowned for Islamic scholarship.

Timbuktu would not see a ruler or patron like Moussa again until the 16th century. Under Askia Mohamed, emperor of the Songhay Empire, the population of Timbuktu reached 100,000. Merchants traveled from the Middle East, Asia and Europe to trade their goods for the gold of Songhay. Thousands of foreign scholars came to Timbuktu to attend the University of Sankore and the city’s numerous other universities where religious and secular courses were taught.

Timbuktu prospered economically and intellectually until 1591 when the Moroccan army sacked the city.This, plus continuous raids, led to the city's decline, a decline from which Timbuktu has yet to recover.

Print Questions for Discussion

• From viewing this video, what conclusions do you draw about Muslim attitudes and practices concerning learning and education?
• What do the manuscripts reveal about the world at the time that Timbuktu thrived as a learning center and prosperous trading crossroads?
• Explain the importance of documents and artifacts in describing what life was like in past cultures. Why is it important to preserve these documents and artifacts?
• Identify the documents and artifacts that help explain the culture you live in. Why should these artifacts be preserved? Are they preserved for review by future generations? If so, how?