Timbuktu

Image | The Confidential

Halfway between the African savannah and the Sahara desert, in an area called Sahel 7 kilometers from the Niger River, is Timbuktu, which has been the capital of the Tuareg people for years in the Republic of Mali.

Known as "African Athens", its geographical location makes it a meeting point between West Africa and the nomadic Berber populations, being a historical enclave of the trans-Saharan trade route, as well as the spiritual capital of Islam throughout Africa throughout the centuries XV and XVI. This city is a World Heritage Site and it is not for less. Join us to discover it.

Five years ago, Timbuktu had the misfortune to fall into the hands of jihadists who devastated the city and forced its inhabitants to flee. Gradually the waters returned to their course and peace returned to the north of Mali to the luck of the locals and tourists, who now can once again be amazed by the beautiful adobe and mud city of Timbuktu, one of the most beautiful in the world in its style. Some of the most iconic places to visit here are the Djingareyber Mosque or the Sidi Yahya Mosque.

Image | Pixabay

Sidi Yahya Mosque

It is a temple and madrassa in Timbuktu, the construction of which was started at the wish of Sheikh El-Mokhtar Hamalla. It took 40 years to complete and became a great learning center for the region.

In 2012, Islamist rebels from the Ansar Dine group from Mali smashed the door of the mosque, thus challenging the beliefs of the population that the door should remain closed until the end of the world.

Sankore Mosque

The Sankore Mosque or the Sankore Madrasa is the oldest of the three learning centers located in Timbuktu.

Image | The newspaper

Djingareyber Mosque

The Djingareyber Mosque is a famous Malian learning center built in 1327 by the Andalusian poet Abu Haq Es Saheli. Djinguereber is one of the three madrasas that make up the University of Sankore and its construction used organic materials such as earth, fibers, straw and wood. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 along with the Sidi Yahya Mosque and the Sankore Mosque. This is the only mosque that non-Muslim visitors can access in Timbuktu.

Other areas of Timbuktu

Despite the fact that few remains of the reflection of its history are preserved due to desertification and jihadist terrorism, There are still other points of great interest such as the wall, the Ahmed Baba study center, the Buctú palace, the explorers' houses or the Almansour Korey private museum.

As a result of its declaration as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, programs have been developed to conserve and protect the city from the advance of the desert sands. However, the country's political and religious instability has led to the destruction of temples and other structures.


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