University of Timbuktu University of Timbuktu The University of Timbuktu is a collective term for the teaching associated with three mosques in the city of Timbuktu in what is now Mali: the masajid (mosques) of Sankore, Djinguereber, and Sidi Yahya. It was not a university in the modern sense, but a loosely organized scholastic community that endured for many centuries during the medieval period. Timbuktu quickly grew in importance by the start of the 12th century, with a thriving economy based on trading salt, gold, spices and dyes. As the wealth of the city grew, it also became a center of learning, attracting
Timbuktu Manuscripts an electronic database to catalogue the manuscripts held at the Institut des Hautes Études et de Recherche Islamique – Ahmad Baba (IHERI-AB); digitizing a large number of manuscripts held at the IHERIAB; facilitating scholarly and technical exchange with manuscript experts in Morocco and other countries; reviving IHERI-AB's journal "Sankoré"; and publishing the splendidly illustrated book, "The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu: Rediscovering Africa's Literary Culture". Since the end of this project, the cooperation of Grand-Duché de Luxembourg has funded a new project called "Timbuktu Manuscripts". This project aims at protecting and promoting Timbuktu Manuscripts, for economic, social and cultural development of