“An estimated 350,000 manuscripts have been inventoried from the dozens of old libraries of the city of Timbuktu, whose reputation for education and its medieval monuments have been favourably compared to universities.” www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-t... - ThreadSky

rhaplord.bsky.social • 2 days ago

“An estimated 350,000 manuscripts have been inventoried from the dozens of old libraries of the city of Timbuktu, whose reputation for education and its medieval monuments have been favourably compared to universities.”
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

Comments

kompani101.bsky.social•2 days ago

Incredible, I'm always surprised that this is generally not covered in Western school education.

metadata-labs.com•2 days ago

Fascinating article, gorgeous manuscripts in the illustrations. Thank you for sharing this.

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thank you too

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

No single body of primary sources in the literary heritage of West Africa has attracted as much attention and attained as much celebrity as the fabled manuscripts of Timbuktu.
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

This trove of literary treasures is testimony to the great intellectual achievements of the scholars of the city, which distinguished itself as a center of study, attracting students from West Africa, the Maghreb, and beyond.
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

Like most of the old cities of West Africa, the urban settlement at Timbuktu emerged much earlier than its first appearance in textual accounts as a seasonal camp for nomadic groups in the 11th century.
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

Timbuktu remained a minor town until the 14th century, when it was conquered by the Mali empire.

After his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, the Mali emperor Mansa Musa constructed Timbuktu’s first mosque in 1325 CE, known as the Jingereber/DjingareyBer.
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

The city’s two other iconic mosques of Sankore and Sidi Yahya were constructed more than a century later during the brief rule of the Tuareg chief Akil (1433-1468) before the city was conquered by the Songhai empire.
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

rhaplord.bsky.social•2 days ago

Timbuktu attained its celebrated status as the intellectual capital of West Africa during the Songhai period in the 16th cent.
boasting 150 schools with 5,000-9,000 students and dozens of prominent scholarly families, all of whom owned extensive libraries
https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/what-did-they-write-about-an-intellectual

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