Mali contains Timbuktu, the ancient city that became a major center of Islamic scholarship.
Timbuktu lies near the southern edge of the Sahara, north of the Niger River’s inland delta. Tuareg groups traditionally founded the settlement around the 12th century. Its location near trans-Saharan routes helped it grow into a trading center for salt, gold, books, and other goods.
The city flourished under the Mali Empire and later the Songhai Empire. During the 15th and 16th centuries, scholars gathered at institutions including Sankore, Djinguereber, and Sidi Yahya mosques. Families preserved thousands of Arabic and Arabic-script manuscripts covering law, theology, science, literature, and history.
Timbuktu’s mud-brick monuments require regular maintenance, and many manuscripts face threats from heat, humidity, conflict, and trafficking. In 2012, armed groups seized the city and damaged several mausoleums and manuscripts. Local residents and librarians protected and moved many manuscripts. UNESCO designated Timbuktu a World Heritage Site in 1988.