Timbuktu was a major centre of Islamic learning and trade in Mali.
The city grew near the southern edge of the Sahara, where trans-Saharan routes connected North Africa with West Africa. Its position helped it prosper through the trade in gold, salt and other goods. Timbuktu became particularly influential under the Mali Empire and later the Songhai Empire.
The Sankore Madrasah and other institutions made Timbuktu famous for scholarship. Scholars studied Islamic law, theology, literature, mathematics and astronomy, while thousands of manuscripts were copied and preserved in private collections and libraries.
Timbuktu is sometimes portrayed as a lost or mythical city, but it remains an inhabited community and a historic cultural centre. Its earthen mosques, including Djinguereber Mosque and Sankore Mosque, reflect the region’s distinctive Sudano-Sahelian architecture. UNESCO listed Timbuktu’s historic areas as a World Heritage Site in 1988.