History of Timbuktu centre linked to the North-African cities and had caught Europe's attention. With the power of the Mali Empire waning in the first half of the 15th century, Timbuktu became relatively autonomous, although Maghsharan Tuareg had a dominating position.l During this period it was led by the Tuareg Akil Akamalwa. Thirty years later the rising Songhai Empire expanded, absorbing Timbuktu in 1468 or 1469. The city was led, consecutively, by Sunni Ali Ber (1468–1492), Sunni Baru (1492–1493) and Askia Mohammad I (1493–1528). Although Sunni Ali Ber was in severe conflict with Timbuktu after its conquest, Askia Mohammad I created a golden
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