University of Timbuktu

The University of Timbuktu is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious universities. Technically made up of three mosques, it is known for its significant contributions to Islamic culture and for providing texts that inform our understanding of the history and culture of the time period. In the 14th century, emperor Mansa Musa took the Mosque of Sankoré that had been built in the 1st century and turned it into the three mosques that make up the University of Timbuktu.

University of Timbuktu Facts

The foundation of the University of Timbuktu was a culmination of the growth of Timbuktu and Islam.

The City of Timbuktu

The history of the University of Timbuktu begins with the boom of Timbuktu (also spelled Tombouctou in French). Located in the center of modern-day Mali and positioned at the edge of the Saharan desert and the mouth of the Niger River, Timbuktu's importance grew throughout the medieval period from a small trading town to the cultural center of Islam.

Timbuktu was founded as a seasonal camp for the nomadic Tuareg people in the 12th century. The Tuareg people used the site as a waystation for supplies and provisions. As it drew more visits from other travelers and merchants, Timbuktu grew from a small trading post to a large city. Caravans met there before venturing into the Saharan desert to travel to the Niger River or search for gold, ivory, or salt.

An image of Mansa Musa with a gold coin from 1375. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Mansa Musa I, the leader of the Mali empire, incorporated Timbuktu into his kingdom during his reign from 1312 to 1337. A devout Muslim, he participated in the Hajj (an annual pilgrimage) to Mecca (in modern-day Saudi Arabia). He returned in 1325 with plans to construct his grand palace in Timbuktu. His journey also introduced him to many skilled architects and scholars from all across the Muslim world, whom he brought back to establish Timbuktu as the cultural center of Islam.

Foundation of the University of Timbuktu

The foundation of the University of Timbuktu is considered to have happened during Mansa Musa's reign. However, the University of Timbuktu is not one university but rather three mosques:

• The Sankoré Mosque (created before Mansa Musa).
• The Djinguereber Mosque.
• The Sidi Yahya Mosque.

Sankoré Mosque

The Sankoré Mosque is considered the oldest continuously running university in sub-Saharan Africa. Before becoming

the University of Sankoré under Mansa Musa, the Sankoré Mosque was created in the 12th century by Berbers who settled in the Timbuktu region. Even before the Berbers, the Sankoré mosque was built in 988 by Imam Al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar, the Chief Qadi (Muslim judge) of Timbuktu.

Djinguereber Mosque

The Djinguereber Mosque was built by Mansa Musa in 1327 and then reconstructed between 1570 and 1583 by al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar.

Djinguereber Mosque, 11 century. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Sidi Yahya Mosque

The last Mosque to be built, the Sidi Yahya, was built around the year 1400 by Sheikh El Moktar Hamalla. The Mosque was named after Sidi Yahya al-Tadallisi, the friend of the ruler at the time and the Mosque's first imam. Like the other two mosques, al-Aqib was reconstructed in the late 14th century.

The Sidi Yahya Mosque includes an ornate sacred gate. Source: Wikimedia Common

The Decline of Timbuktu and Modern History

Askia Dawud added more university improvements during his rule from 1549 to 1583. It was under his supervision that al-Aqib reconstructed the mosques, the number of students swelled to 25,000, and Timbuktu was at the height of its cultural, commercial, and intellectual progress.

In 1591 the city was sieged and captured by Moroccan forces, which led to its steady decline. Many texts at the university were destroyed, scholars were arrested, and some were killed. Trade also declined and the city was attacked repeatedly by outlying forces.

• 988AD: The Sankoré mosque was built by Imam Al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar.
• 12th Century: Berbers turned the Mosque into a university.
• 1327AD: Mansa Musa constructs the Djinguereber Mosque.
• Mid-14th Century: The Sankoré and Djinguereber become full-fledged learning centers under Mansa Musa.
• 1400AD: The Sidi Yahya mosque is built by Sheikh El Moktar Hamalla.
• 1549 - 1583AD: The mosques are improved and reconstructed by Askia Dawud.
• 1591 AD: Timbuktu is captured by Moroccan forces and the mosques are plundered.

Importance of the University of Timbuktu

The University of Timbuktu was well-known for producing high-quality and well-educated scholars on topics ranging from the Quran, law, medicine, and astronomy, to Arabic, philosophy, and grammar.

Structure of the University

The University of Timbuktu did not have a central structure or administration. It was made up of individual instructors and tutors. Students approached individual instructors to be added to their classes taught in public places like the courtyards of the mosques or at the teacher's private residence.

There were four levels of schooling:

• Primary level taught the Quran, Arabic language, and basic science.
• Second level included grammar, commentaries about the Quran, mathematics, physics, chemistry, history, trade, and Islamic business code and ethics.
• Third level was a superior degree in a specialized area of the student's choosing, which would take about ten years to complete.
• Fourth: Circle of Knowledge, reserved for an elite group of students and professors

Upon graduation, students had ceremonies and received gifts to acknowledge their hard work. They also received an ijazah, a certificate showing that the holder had mastered the subject.

Teaching Style

The teachings of the university were in traditional Islamic teaching methods. In this practice, the teacher dictates a lecture out loud, which the student is expected to copy down on parchment. Then, the teacher reviews what the student has written, and the student is expected to study from this guide. Additionally, most teachers taught in Arabic, making it difficult for locals who spoke native languages to participate in the university.

Major Contributions of the University of Timbuktu

The University of Timbuktu provided major contributions to the modern understanding of history and culture in Medieval Sub-Saharan Africa and their understanding of science and religion. In addition to being an influential force while it was actively running, scholars and texts that originated at the university are still critical today.

Scholars

Many celebrated Muslim scholars attended and taught at the University of Timbuktu. Two of the most famous are al-Aqib Aqit and Ahmad Baba.

Al-Aqib Aqit

Al-Aqib Aqit lived from 1507 to 1583 and became a qadi of Timbuktu and an imam of the Sankoré Mosque. In 1569, he began his work of reconstructing the Sidi Yahya Mosque, followed by the Djinguereber Mosque and the Sankoré Mosque. Ahmad Baba (see below), his cousin, also studied and received his ijazah under Al-Aqib.

Ahmad Baba

Ahmad Baba (1556 to 1627) was a jurist famous for his fatwas (a legal ruling on Islamic law or Sharia). He wrote over sixty texts which chronicled the history of West African jurists and Medieval Moroccan religious practices and topics ranging from grammar and philosophy to medicine and astronomy. Some of his texts have formed the basis for a modern understanding of religion and the law of the time period.

Texts

The University of Timbuktu housed an impressive collection of texts and manuscripts.

Tarikh al-Sudan

Created by Abd al-Rahman in 1655, the Tarikh al-Sudan chronicled the history of the Middle Niger region from the founding of Timbuktu through the Moroccan invasion in the late 16th century. It is one of the most important primary sources from this region and time period.

Tarikh al-fattash

The Tarikh al-fattash also chronicles the history of the region. It was started by Mahmud Kati and then finished by his son and then his grandsons.

The University of Timbuktu Today

While the University of Timbuktu and the three mosques still exist today, they operate as World Heritage sites rather than active universities. The city of Timbuktu was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. Throughout the 1990s, efforts were made to preserve the buildings. Due to threats of armed conflict in 2012, UNESCO added it to the List of World Heritage in Danger.

In 2013, Al Qaeda captured northern Mali and began destroying the centuries-old manuscripts that challenged their interpretations of Islam. Thanks to the efforts led by Abdel Kader Haidara, scholars saved most of the manuscripts by transporting them to a neighboring town.