“Timbuktu (…), magnífico poema africano contra el extremismo religioso”. the reason why Timbuktu is an important to study African history Timbuktu became renown as an African El Dora-do, a city made of gold. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. After it was captured by Morocco in 1591, the city declined. Great Mosque, built by Emperor Mūsā I of Mali in 1327, Timbuktu, Mali. Favorite Answer. It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about 8 miles (13 km) north of the Niger River. The city’s scholars, many of whom had studied in Mecca or in Egypt, numbered some 25,000. Its location was at a major crossroads of the Sahara Desert. The city was important for thinking and for religion in the 15th and 16th centuries. Three of western Africa’s oldest mosques—Djinguereber (Djingareyber), Sankore, and Sidi Yahia—were built there during the 14th and early 15th centuries. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The mosque still stands today, probably because of al-Sāḥili’s directive to incorporate a wooden framework into the mud walls of the building, thus facilitating annual repairs after the rainy season. (2009) 54,453. Corrections? The Tuaregs claimed the territory, which included Timbuktu, as the independent state of Azawad. Read: Mali begins reconstruction Timbuktu tombs. Today it is a city in the country of Mali . Timbuktu was an important 12th century city. It was a trading center for several ancient empires. 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. Sankore University and other madrasas are in the city. In 1468 the city was conquered by the Songhai ruler Sonni ʿAlī. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali. I’d … Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The city was well know with great Arab immigrants including the renowned architect, Ishaq El Teudjin, who built its legendary mosque, Djinguereber, to serve as a Friday prayer temple for thousands of inhabitants. By the 14th century it was a flourishing centre for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade, and it grew as a centre of Islamic culture. The city welcomed everyone which contributed to its economic growth. The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. By this time it had become a major centre of … Although the Tuareg exacted sizable tributes and plundered periodically, trade and learning continued to flourish in Timbuktu. It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about 8 miles (13 km) north of the Niger River. It is also a historical site that is in great danger, as radical Islamists, known as Ansar Dine, have taken over the small city in Mali, threatening destruction to monuments, religious sites, and priceless documents. The Granada architect Abū Isḥāq al-Sāḥili was then commissioned to design the Sankore mosque, around which Sankore University was established. Relevance. Timbuktu and the Mali Empire in general received international attention in the Middle Ages thanks to descriptions in the works of Muslim travellers. In Danger since 2012. After an extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, the Mali emperor Mansa Mūsā built the Great Mosque (Djinguereber) and a royal residence, the Madugu (the former has since been rebuilt many times, and of the latter no trace remains). It was also a center of Islamic culture from about 1400 to 1600. (20 Minutes) Mi compañero Julio Feo Zarandieta explica ayer, en esta publicación, que Timbuktu , película menospreciada en el último Festival de Cannes pero que gana en pertinencia a medida que pasan las semanas y los meses, es la considerada por la crítica francesa como la mejor producción de 2014. By the third one, my eyes were popping out of my head…. But what it should also bring to mind is EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENC Timbuktu was a thriving centre of scholarship instrumental to the spread of Islam in Africa. Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). Timbuktu is now an administrative centre of Mali. For centuries, white travelers have sought, expect to see a city of pure gold. Timbuktu was so important because it was considered a hub for Islamic learning and trading. A caretaker praying over a tomb that was damaged by Islamic militants in 2012, Timbuktu, Mali. The unique combination of scholarship and business were the cornerstone that made Timbuktu a city of wealth and a booming commercial destination in the Saharan desert, where salt, gold, and books were the main commodities traded. Timbuktu was captured by the French in 1894. It was founded by Tuareg nomads in the 12th Century and within 200 years had become an immensely wealthy city, at the centre of important trading routes for salt and gold. Timbuktu became famous in the 15th century because of the booming gold and salt trade in the Sahara region at that time. 2/28/2011 01:49:41 am. An even greater threat came in 2012 when Tuareg rebels, backed by Islamic militants, took control of the northern part of the country. Mansa Musa was the leader of Mali a West African empire which became the largest and richest empire in Africa under Mansa Musa. There are several stories concerning the derivation of the city’s name. There are three great mosques: Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahya.They are reminders of Timbuktu's golden age. So why Timbuktu? Pop. Answer Save. In the late 13th or early 14th century it was incorporated into the Mali empire. Timbuktu was not only a commercial centre, but also of great importance for Islam and science, housing a famous university and several medressas. I was in Timbuktu, and a young man who knew my interest in African history invited me to see the family library. The Legend of Timbuktu Timbuktu was founded by nomads in the 12th century, and it rapidly became a major trading depot for the caravans of the Sahara Desert. A melting pot for knowledge and commercial hub with rich African heritage. European explorers reached Timbuktu in the early 19th century. Timbuktu Manuscripts (or Tombouctou Manuscripts) is a blanket term for the large number of historically important manuscripts that have been preserved for centuries in private households in Timbuktu, Mali. While the first three sites are only fantasies, Timbuktu is a very real, and very important, historical site. Timbuktu (French: Tombouctou; Tuareg ⵜⵏⴱⵈⵜ Tin Buqt; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu) is a city in Mali, situated 20 km (12 mi) north of the Niger River. With its population of merchants, scholars, barbers, an interaction between Arabs and Jews with the Fulani people from the surrounding countryside, Timbuktu was known throughout Africa and its fame extended to Europe and Asia and globally. During the Askia period (1493–1591) Timbuktu was at the height of its commercial and intellectual development. Its scholars were ordered arrested in 1593 on suspicion of disaffection; some were killed during a resulting struggle, while others were exiled to Morocco. The city became part of the Mali Empire in the 14th century thanks to its trade in ivory, gold and salt. It is also considered an important city for the spread of Islam in Africa, due to the efforts of the prestigious Koranic University of Sankore. Timbuktu was founded about 1100 ce as a seasonal camp by Tuareg nomads. French colonization at the close of the 19th century dealt another serious blow to the former glories of Timbuktu. He was generally ill disposed toward the city’s Muslim scholars, but his successor—the first ruler of the new Askia dynasty, Muḥammad I Askia of Songhai (reigned 1493–1528)—used the scholarly elite as legal and moral counselors. From the 11th century and onward, Timbuktu became an important port where goods from West Africa and North Africa were traded. Why Timbuktu is a World Heritage Site. The sand swept city of Timbuktu. Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture ( c. 1400–1600). Goods coming the Mediterranean shores and salt were traded in Timbuktu for gold. … 7 Answers. Recognising its significance as a site of African architecture and of its scholarly past, UNESCO declared Timbuktu a World Heritage Site in 1990. Timbuktu is a city in Tombouctou Region, Mali. In 1960 it became part of the newly independent Republic of Mali. He was the Emperor of Mali in the 14 century, founder to Timbuktu as a trading center in North Africa through the Sahara. The importance of Timbuktu to African heritage is priceless due to its historic position in West Africa as a major economic city during the 15th and 16th centuries. Gold, ivory and kola nuts passed through Timbuktu, but the most important commodity was salt. 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