Sankoré Madrasah

Postcard published by Edmond Fortier with the mosque in 1905–06

The Sankoré mosque was originally built in the 14th-15th centuries with the financial backing of a Tuareg woman of the Aghlal tribe.[1][2] It was later restored between 1578 and 1582 AD by Imam Al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar, the Chief Qadi (judge) of Timbuktu. Imam al-Aqib demolished the sanctuary and had it rebuilt with the dimensions of the Kaaba in Mecca.[3] The Sankoré madrasa prospered and became a significant place of learning within the Sudanic Muslim world, especially during the 15th and 16th centuries under Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire (1493–1591).[4] Sankoré was the mosque that was chiefly associated with teaching in Timbuktu in this period.[5]

Growth as a center of learning

The Songhai Empire at its greatest extent, c. AD 1500.

Timbuktu developed as a commercial centre in the 14th century, as Walata, the previous hub of trans-Saharan trade in the region, began to decline in importance.[6][7] It was not long before ideas as well as merchandise began passing through the city. Muslim scholars associated with the Sankoré mosque accumulated a wealth of books from throughout the Muslim world, leading to Sankoré becoming a centre of learning as well as a centre of worship.[8] At its peak the mosque was the focal point for a class of Islamic scholars that were held in high regard both locally and abroad. Songhai kings would even bestow numerous gifts upon them during Ramadan.[9]

Apex and Fall

The golden age of the Sankoré madrasa occurred in the 16th century during the Songhai Empire under Askia Muhammad, drawing in scholars from as far as Egypt and Syria. Scholars from Sankoré would also engage in learning or teaching while completing the Hajj to Mecca.[10] The trade in books within the Islamic world was one of the most important aspects of intellectual life in Timbuktu.[11] In 1526 AD the author Leo Africanus noted this trade when he visited Timbuktu, writing: "Here are great store of doctors, judges, priests, and other learned men, that are bountifully maintained at the kings cost and charges. And hither are brought divers manuscripts or written books out of Barbarie, which are sold for more money than any other merchandize."[12] Some Sankoré scholars accumulated large private libraries, with over 1600 manuscripts,[13] though there was no public library or university library in Timbuktu.[8] Manuscripts were copied by local students, giving them a means to earn a living during their studies.[14] Works written in Timbuktu were also exported to North Africa, such as the Nayl al-ibtihaj by Ahmad Baba, a biographical dictionary of Maliki scholars which gained popularity throughout the Maghreb.[15]

In 1591 AD, an invasion by Ahmad al-Mansur of Morocco led to the fall of the Songhai empire following the Battle of Tondibi, starting a long decline of the West African states.[16][17] In 1594 many Sankoré scholars, including Ahmed Baba, were arrested by Moroccan troops on grounds of sedition and deported to Morocco along with their manuscript collections.[18][19]

Modern Day

Sankoré Masjid, 2007

The integrity of the Sankoré madrasa has been at risk with increased urbanization and contemporary construction in Timbuktu. Significant damage has been done to the mosque due to flooding and a lack of restoration work. As a result, the integrity of the traditional building is at risk. However, there are currently several restoration and protective committees being funded by the government to prevent further damage. The Management and Conservation Committee of the Old Town, in coordination with the World Heritage Center, held long term plans to create a 500 foot buffer zone to protect the madrasa and create a sustainable urban development framework.

^ Hunwick, John (2003). "Timbuktu: A Refuge of Scholarly and Righteous Folk". Sudanic Africa. 14: 15. JSTOR 25653392 – via JSTOR. In the year 1325, when Timbuktu was under the rule of Mali, the sultan of Mali, Mansa Musa, came there during his return from pilgrimage, and ordered the construction of a Great Mosque (until now still in existence in the south of the city) under the supervision of the Andalusian scholar Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, who had accompanied Mansa Musa on his return journey from Mecca. Then after some years a large mosque was built in the Sankore quarter in the north of the city, financed by a woman from the Aghlal, a religious Tuareg tribe (of ineslemen). The Sankore mosque became a place for teaching tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) and other Islamic teachings. Sankore was a dwelling place many scholars, especially those belonging to the Masufa ^ "Sankore Mosque". Google Arts & Culture. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Woods, Michael (2009). Seven wonders of ancient Africa. Mary B. Woods. London: Lerner. ISBN 978-0-7613-4320-2. OCLC 645691064. ^ Hunwick, John (1999). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire. Al-Sa'dī's Ta'rīkh al-sūdān down to 1613 and other Contemporary Documents. Leiden: E.J. Brill. pp. lviii. ISBN 90-04-12822-0. The mosque that was chiefly associated with teaching in this period was the Sankore Mosque. ^ Oliver, Roland, ed. (1977). The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 3. Cambridge University Press. p. 392. ISBN 978-0-521-20981-6. In the fourteenth century, when it began to develop as a commercial centre, Timbuktu also became a cultural centre of Islam. ^ Hunwick, John (1999). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire. Al-Sa'dī's Ta'rīkh al-sūdān down to 1613 and other Contemporary Documents. Leiden: E.J. Brill. pp. lvi–lvii. ISBN 90-04-12822-0. It would seem that Timbuktu was little more than a semi-permanent nomadic settlement in the twelfth century, and probably through the thirteenth […] the city effectively emerges into the light of history with the visit of the Malian ruler Mansa Musa on his way home from his pilgrimage of 1324. He is said to have brought back with him a number of Muslim scholars […] By 1375 Timbuktu, together with several Saharan locations, had found its place on a European map … this is a sure sign that Timbuktu was, by now, a commercial centre linked to North African cities. ^ a b Singleton, Brent D. (2004). "African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu". Library Faculty Publications. 21. there is no evidence of the existence of open access public libraries in medieval Timbuktu. On the contrary, the libraries of Timbuktu seem to have all been private collections of individual scholars or families. ^ Henrik Clarke, John. “The University of Sankore at Timbuctoo: A Neglected Achievement in Black Intellectual History.” The Western journal of black studies 1.2 (1977): 142–. Print. ^ Hunwick, John (2023). "The Timbuktu Manuscript Tradition". Tinabantu Journal of African National Affairs. 1 (2). doi:10.14426/tbu.v1i2.1643. Not only were manuscripts imported to Timbuktu, both from North Africa and Egypt, but scholars going on pilgrimage often studied in both Mecca and, on the way back, in Cairo, and copied texts to add to their own libraries. ^ Hunwick, John (1999). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire. Al-Sa'dī's Ta'rīkh al-sūdān down to 1613 and other Contemporary Documents. Leiden: E.J. Brill. ^ "Leo Africanus (1526): A geographical historie of Africa, Book 7, Chapter: Of the kingdome of Tombuto". University of Michigan Library - Early English Books Online. ^ Singleton, Brent D. (2004). "African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu". Library Faculty Publications. 21. Reliable figures concerning the size and scope of libraries in Timbuktu are scarce, however, the historical chronicles of Timbuktu and other sources provide a glimpse of a handful of collections. Al--Hashtuki quotes Ahmad Baba's comment about his library seized by the Moroccans: "I had the smallest library of any of my kin, and they seized 1,600 volumes." ^ Singleton, Brent D. (2004). "African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu". Library Faculty Publications. 21. Manuscripts were plentiful in Timbuktu and the need for copying continual, affording students the opportunity to earn a living during their studies. [...] The cost of copying a set of books was enormous ... But no matter how costly local copying may have been, it was still far less expensive than purchasing most imported books. ^ Singleton, Brent D. (2004). "African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu". Library Faculty Publications. 21. The flow of books into Timbuktu naturally outpaced the number of books Timbuktu exported to the outside world, nonetheless, many notable works owned or penned by Sudanese scholars were traded north. Ahmad Baba, the preeminent scholar of Timbuktu, wrote more than 40 works including a biographical dictionary of Maliki fuqaha entitled Nayl al-ibtihaj bi-tatriz al-Dibaj, often referred to simply as the Nayl al-ibtihaj. This work gained popularity throughout the Maghrib (North Africa) and reached every part of the Maliki Muslim world. ^ Kobo, Ousman Murzik. “Paths to Progress: Madrasa Education and Sub-Saharan Muslims’ Pursuit of Socioeconomic Development.” In The State of Social Progress of Islamic Societies, 159–177. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016. ^ Henrik Clarke, John. “The University of Sankore at Timbuctoo: A Neglected Achievement in Black Intellectual History.” The Western journal of black studies 1.2 (1977): 142–. Print. ^ Kaba, Lansiné (1981). "Archers, Musketeers, and Mosquitoes: The Moroccan Invasion of the Sudan and the Songhay Resistance (1591–1612)". The Journal of African History. 22 (4): 457–475. doi:10.1017/S0021853700019861. PMID 11632225. S2CID 41500711. ^ Singleton, Brent D. (2004). "African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu". Library Faculty Publications. 21. Reliable figures concerning the size and scope of libraries in Timbuktu are scarce, however, the historical chronicles of Timbuktu and other sources provide a glimpse of a handful of collections. Al--Hashtuki quotes Ahmad Baba's comment about his library seized by the Moroccans: "I had the smallest library of any of my kin, and they seized 1,600 volumes." ... Baba's personal collection was extensive and valuable, and was completely dispersed to Morocco.