Timbuktu was a medieval centre of Islamic learning on the southern edge of the Sahara.
The city grew near the Niger River in present-day Mali and became prosperous because it connected trans-Saharan trade routes. Gold, salt and other goods passed through the region, while scholars, merchants and religious teachers gathered in the city. Timbuktu flourished especially under the Mali and Songhai empires.
Its famous institutions included the Sankore mosque and associated scholarly community. Manuscripts preserved in and around Timbuktu cover subjects such as law, theology, astronomy, mathematics, medicine and literature. The city’s historical importance is sometimes exaggerated by stories presenting it as a mythical city of limitless wealth, but its role as a real commercial and intellectual hub is well documented. Timbuktu’s mud-brick architecture reflects Sahelian building traditions.