Timbuktu is the UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the medieval city and its three famous mosques: Djinguereber, Sankore, and Sidi Yahya.
Located near the southern edge of the Sahara in Mali, Timbuktu grew into a major centre of trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship. During its height, merchants exchanged gold, salt, and other goods there, while scholars and students gathered around religious schools and manuscript collections.
The city’s best-known historic buildings use earthen architecture, including banco, a traditional mud-based building material. The mosques and mausoleums require regular maintenance because seasonal rain and erosion can damage their walls. Timbuktu’s manuscripts also preserve important records of law, science, religion, and daily life in West Africa.
Timbuktu is sometimes confused with Djenné, another Malian UNESCO site celebrated for monumental mud architecture. The two cities are historically connected, but they are separate World Heritage properties with different architectural ensembles.