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Timbuktu has become a household reference as a faraway, mysterious place, but the city itself was once a world-renowned trade powerhouse, as well as an academic hotspot of the medieval world. Timbuktu is unique in that it has seen many rulers, but the city reached its golden period under the Mali Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Starting out as a seasonal settlement, Timbuktu was in the kingdom of Mali when it became a permanent settlement early in the 12th century. After a shift in trading routes, the town flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory and slaves from several towns and states such as Begho of Bonoman, Sijilmassa, and other Saharan cities. [1]
The only public library in Timbuktu, the Ahmed Baba Institute (which stores over 18,000 manuscripts) is named in his honor. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] In 1615 Ahmad discussed along with other Muslim scholars on the question of slavery, in order to protect Muslims from being enslaved.
Great Mosque of Djenné, Famous Landmark in Timbuktu One of the most iconic landmarks in Timbuktu is the Great Mosque of Djenné, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [ 3 ] Built in the 13th century, this mud-brick mosque is the largest of its kind in the world and is considered a masterpiece of Sudano-Sahelian architecture.
A manuscript page from Timbuktu showing a table of astronomical information. Timbuktu Manuscripts, or Tombouctou Manuscripts, is a blanket term for the large number of historically significant manuscripts that have been preserved for centuries in private households in Timbuktu, a city in northern Mali.
Until the 19th century, Timbuktu remained important as an outpost at the southwestern fringe of the Muslim world and a hub of the trans-Saharan slave trade. Mandinka from 13th to the 17th century. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became known for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I.
Timbuktu, an important Islamic center famed for its ulama, was established by Imasheghen Tuareg at the start of the 12th century. [53] It flourished under the protection and rule of a Tuareg confederation.
A Tuareg man near Timbuktu in Modern Mali. Though the Mali Empire was now in the hands of weak kings, it continued to exist well into the 15th century. Timbuktu was an important point of both trade and learning in Imperial Mali, so its loss to Tuareg Berbers in 1433 was a significant blow to the