Mali contains the ancient city of Timbuktu, a historic centre of Islamic learning.
Timbuktu lies near the southern edge of the Sahara, close to the Niger River in present-day Mali. Its position helped it become an important stop on trans-Saharan trade routes linking West Africa with North Africa. Gold, salt and other goods moved through the region.
The city flourished especially during the Mali and Songhai empires. It became famous for Islamic scholarship, manuscript production and schools associated with institutions such as the Sankore madrasa. Thousands of historic manuscripts remain evidence of the region's intellectual traditions.
Timbuktu's earthen mosques, including Djinguereber Mosque, reflect distinctive Sahelian architecture. The city's fame later inspired the expression “the ends of the earth,” although it was never literally the most remote place on the planet. Timbuktu was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.