Timbuktu (/ ˌ t ɪ m b ʌ k ˈ t uː / ⓘ TIM-buk-TOO; French: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu; Tuareg: ⵜⵏⵀⵗⵜ, romanized: Tin Bukt) is an ancient city in Mali, situated 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the Niger River.

Mar 21, 2025 · Timbuktu, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a center of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about …

After the 2012 period of occupation by armed groups, many of Timbuktu's historic buildings, such as the 16 mausoleums inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1988, were destroyed. In a spirit...

Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age.

Timbuktu was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988 for its Outstanding Universal Value as an African intellectual and spiritual capital in the 15th and 16th centuries. Among its treasures were sixteen 13th century mausoleums of Muslim saints.

In 2012, several buildings in Timbuktu, including 14 of the 16 mausoleums which form part of the World Heritage site, were destroyed within the context of armed conflict and civil unrest. Attacks also targeted the Al Farouk monument, which was completely destroyed.

Nov 5, 2008 · The city of Timbuktu, situated some 13km north of the River Niger in the West African country of Mali, is a fabled centre of trans-Saharan trade and as the site of an Islamic university founded perhaps as early as the late 13th century AD.

Jul 25, 2018 · Timbuktu sits near the Niger River, where North African’s savannas disappear into the sands of the Sahara, and part of its romantic image is that of a camel caravan trade route. This...

Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age.

In the northern quarter, at the apex of the triangle lies the Sankore Masjid with its pyramid shaped minaret laced with protruding wooden support beams. It was here that the Sankore University housed its thousands of students and produced some of the greatest scholars in Africa.