timbuktu definition world history

The mosque was completed by 1330 CE. Timbuktu’s history has come to us from a series of historical works or Tarikhs written from the mid 17th century through the 18th century. City on the Niger River in the modern country of Mali. The area around Timbuktu has been inhabited since the Neolithic period as evidenced by Iron Age tumuli, megaliths and remains of now abandoned villages. (2009) 54,453. Located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and six miles north of the Niger River in the present-day nation of Mali, Timbuktu has been a centuries-old, significant city in West Africa. 2009). Mostly used nowadays as an expression, when people want to emphasise how isolated, inaccessible, far away or in the middle of nowhere a place is. The city, founded c. 1100 CE, gained wealth from its access to and control of the trade routes which connected the central portion of the Niger River with the Sahara and North Africa, passing along gold, slaves, and ivory from Africa's interior to the Mediterranean and sending salt and other goods southwards. Atlas » Learn more about the world with our collection of regional and country maps. He had several mosques and madrasas built in Timbuktu and Gao. It was founded by the Tuareg as a seasonal camp sometime after 1000. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! The ill-fated Scottish explorer Gordon Laing was the first to arrive (1826), followed by the French explorer René-Auguste Caillié in 1828. Books Due to the lack of stone in the region, buildings were typically constructed using beaten earth (banco) reinforced with wood which often sticks out in beams from the exterior surfaces. The Pashalik of Timbuktu would end in the final quarter of the 18th century CE when, not for the first time, the local Tuaregs seized the advantage of a political vacuum and took over the city in 1787 CE. Timbuktu is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. INTERESTING FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TIMBUKTU. These well written Arabic treasures enable us to enter the African world of scholarship and deep intellectual thought. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Timbuktu was one of the most important cities in the Mali Empire because of its location near the Niger River bend and so it was fed by the trade along both the east and west branches of this great water highway. Updates? Over the course of its history, the desert city was famed for being dense with gold, for being impenetrable, and for bearing witness to one of the great ecological calamities of the 20th century. The Granada architect Abū Isḥāq al-Sāḥili was then commissioned to design the Sankore mosque, around which Sankore University was established. French spelling often appears in international reference as "Tombouctou".The German spelling 'Timbuktu,' and its variant 'Timbucktu' have passed into English and the former has become widely used in recent years. There are 5 pillars of Islam that defines what the people must do, "There is no God, but God, and Muhammed is the prophet, pray 5 times a day facing in the direction of Mecca, give a certain amount of earnings to the less fortunate, fast, don't smoke, or have sexual activity during daylight in the month of Ramadan and try to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime. 31,925), central Mali, near the Niger River. Cartwright, Mark. Timbuktu is now an administrative centre of Mali. Timbuktu definition, a town in central Mali, W Africa, near the Niger River. How cities grow and mesh all the while absorbing ideas from different identities. The urbanization of historical cities has been a point of interest for many historians. It was founded by the Tuareg as a seasonal camp sometime after 1000. According to one legend, the herdsmen dug a well at the site and asked an old woman called Buktu to look after it whenever they were away. These clerics and local converts and scholars frequently acted as missionaries, spreading Islam into other parts of West Africa so that it was now no longer seen as a religion of white foreigners but very much as a religion belonging to black Africans themselves. Another celebrated Muslim traveller, Leo Africanus (c. 1494 - c. 1554 CE), also famously described Timbuktu, including the city's great wealth. Despite the focus on Islamic studies and the construction of mosques, ancient indigenous animist beliefs continued to be practised independent of Islam, and even the form of Islam that took hold in Mali was a local variation of that practised elsewhere. See more. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's... Timbuktu Chronicles 1493-1599, Ta'rikh al Fattash, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Timbuktu or ‘Timbuctoo’ as it was initially spelled, is a city in The north of the ancient Mali empire. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Keywords: Timbuktu, civilization, Islamic History, Africa. Timbuktu. Founded in the 11th century by the Tuareg, it became a major trading center (primarily for gold and salt) and a center of Islamic learning by the 14th century. In the late 13th or early 14th century it was incorporated into the Mali empire. Related Content Thus, Mali became the largest and richest empire yet seen in West Africa. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. According to one tradition, Timbuktu was named for an old woman left to oversee the camp while the Tuareg roamed the Sahara. Meaning of Timbuktu. 1. In 1853 the German geographer Heinrich Barth reached the city during a five-year trek across Africa. Other goods traded included ivory, textiles, horses, glassware, weapons, sugar, kola nuts (a mild stimulant), cereals (e.g. There are several stories concerning the derivation of the city’s name. In the 14th Century it became the commercial, religious and cultural center of the West African empires of Mali and Songhai . As part of the Mali empire, Timbuktu became a major terminus of the trans-Saharan trade and a center of Islamic learning. Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). There were also sporadic attacks by the Mossi people, who then controlled the lands south of the Niger River. History of Timbuktu: The popular statement, ” From here to Timbuktu.” conjures up images of remote, isolated and distant parts of this earth. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Timbuktu, Mali, designated a World Heritage site in 1988. the Tarikh al-Sudan c. 1656 CE and Tarikh al-Fattash c. 1650 CE). Mansa Musa also had fortification walls built to protect the city against Tuareg raids. At Timbuktu, in particular, a clerical class developed, many of whose members were of Sudanese origin. Cite This Work Founded by the Tuareg nomads in the 12th Century, Timbuktu region is By the 14th century it was a flourishing centre for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade, and it grew as a centre of Islamic culture. City on the Niger River in the modern country of Mali. European explorers reached Timbuktu in the early 19th century. Timbuktu, during the reign of Mansa Musa was no different, it became a cosmopolitan intellectual city… Merchants from Ghudāmis (Ghadamis; now in Libya), Augila (now Awjidah, Libya), and numerous other cities of North Africa gathered there to buy gold and slaves in exchange for the Saharan salt of Taghaza and for North African cloth and horses. Definition of Timbuktu in the Definitions.net dictionary. Following the conquest of North Africa by Muslim Arabs in the 7th... Gus Casely-Hayford: The powerful stories that shaped Africa, Timbuktu: The Sahara's Fabled City of Gold. Definition funny of Timbuktu: ... Talking Timbuktu World Album, Award-Nominated Work, Musical Album, Award-Winning Work. INTRODUCTION Timbuktu is a city situated in the West African nation of Mali. Sankore Mosque, TimbuktuRadio Raheem (CC BY-NC-ND). The region was visited and described by the famed explorer from Tangiers Ibn Battuta (1304 - c. 1369 CE), who travelled throughout West Africa amongst many other places in the world. A city in the country of Mali, which is in Western Africa. ... Sixty Six to Timbuktu is a greatest hits album and a history of the career of Robert Plant, from 1966 to a recording done at the Festival in the Desert in Mali. Its scholars were ordered arrested in 1593 on suspicion of disaffection; some were killed during a resulting struggle, while others were exiled to Morocco. The area around Timbuktu has been inhabited since the Neolithic period as evidenced by Iron Age tumuli, megaliths and remains of now abandoned villages. Timbuktu was sacked in 1591 by invaders from Morocco and fell to the French in 1894. Items related to Timbuktu, page 1. Local leaders would even perform pilgrimages to the Islamic holy sites like Mecca. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A caretaker praying over a tomb that was damaged by Islamic militants in 2012, Timbuktu, Mali. World History Encyclopedia. Controlled by the Berber Arabs, the established routes went from Timbuktu to Tlemcen (Algeria) and to Fez (Morocco) stopping at known oases along the way. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Timbuktu was used as a capital by the Pashas who became princes virtually independent of Morocco in the second half of the 17th century CE. Timbuktu was founded by Tuareg herdsmen, the nomads of the southern Sahara. Although the Tuareg exacted sizable tributes and plundered periodically, trade and learning continued to flourish in Timbuktu. 2.) Omissions? 17 Apr 2021. Definition of Timbuktu in the AudioEnglish.org Dictionary. As early as the 15 th century, Timbuktu was a hub of intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre of the propagation of Islam throughout Africa. Timbuktu. From the reign of Mansa Musa I (1312-1337 CE), mosques began to be built across the Mali Empire. Caillié, who had studied Islam and learned Arabic, reached Timbuktu disguised as an Arab. Timbuktu definition: a town in central Mali , on the River Niger : terminus of a trans-Saharan caravan route ;... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Log In Dictionary Timbuktu meanwhile, with a population of around 100,000 in the mid-15th century CE, fared better than the old Mali Empire and continued to thrive as a centre of learning into the 16th and 17th centuries CE when the city boasted 150-180 Koranic schools. Subsequently, a third mosque was built, the Sidi Yahya, to add to the already existing Sankore (of the late 12th century CE). It is also true, however, that because religious and other studies were not made in native languages and were restricted to a small urban elite, the impact on the education of the wider Mali population was limited. After two weeks he departed, becoming the first explorer to return to Europe with firsthand knowledge of the city (rumours of Timbuktu’s wealth had reached Europe centuries before, owing to tales of Mūsā’s 11th-century caravan to Mecca). Corrections? Copper was traded via trans-Saharan routes during the first millennium CE while evidence of copper ingots cast for trade purposes date to the 11th century CE onwards. A 90-kilo block of salt, transported by river from Timbuktu to Djenne (aka Jenne) in the south could double its value and be worth around 450 grams of gold. With Picture Analysis. Last modified February 22, 2019. Her name (variously given as Tomboutou, Timbuktu, or Buctoo) meant “mother with a large navel,” possibly describing an umbilical hernia or other such physical malady. His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. Timbuktu is a city located near the Niger River in modern-day Mali in West Africa. After an extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, the Mali emperor Mansa Mūsā built the Great Mosque (Djinguereber) and a royal residence, the Madugu (the former has since been rebuilt many times, and of the latter no trace remains). 1.) Web. The city thrived longer than the Mali Empire, experiencing various subsequent rulers such as the Songhai Empire, the Tuaregs, and the Moroccan Pashas, but the medieval descriptions of the city's wealth lingered long in the memory. Connected with the Niger by a series of canals, Timbuktu is served by the https://www.worldhistory.org/Timbuktu/. In addition, Timbuktu was the starting point for trans-Saharan camel caravans which transported goods northwards. In 1468 the city was conquered by the Songhai ruler Sonni ʿAlī. Map of the Mali Empire, c. 1337 CEGabriel Moss (CC BY-SA). Great Mosque, built by Emperor Mūsā I of Mali in 1327, Timbuktu, Mali. Similarly, gold was probably locally mined and then traded, but concrete evidence from this period is lacking. Many important chronicles were produced which covered the history of the region (e,g. The city’s scholars, many of whom had studied in Mecca or in Egypt, numbered some 25,000. Timbuktu was the starting point for trans-Saharan camel caravans which transported goods northwards. Timbuktu and the Mali Empire in general received international attention in the Middle Ages thanks to descriptions in the works of Muslim travellers. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Timbuktu was captured by the French in 1894. During the Askia period (1493–1591) Timbuktu was at the height of its commercial and intellectual development. The city's golden period was in the 14th century CE when the ruler Mansa Musa built mosques of pounded earth and established universities which gained the city international fame as a centre of Islamic learning. The city attracted many people from across Africa and the Arab world who were both scholars and merchants. In particular, red-skinned African rice, along with other indigenous cereals and foodstuffs, was grown, and local deposits of copper exploited. Such caravans typically had around 1,000 camels, but the larger ones could have up to 12,000 'ships of the desert'. Indigenous rulers adopted Islam from their contact with Arab merchants, and the Mali Empire would thus play a significant part in the spread of Islam across West Africa. Timbuktu’s location at the meeting point of desert and water made it an ideal trading centre. Even now, in the age of Google Maps, its name is synonymous with the unknown edges of the world: welcome to Timbuktu.” The Islamic militants—in particular, one group known as Ansar Dine—deemed many of Timbuktu’s historic religious monuments and artifacts to be idolatrous, and, to that end, they damaged or destroyed many of them, including tombs of Islamic saints housed at the Djinguereber and Sidi Yahia mosques. C. 1468 CE, King Sunni Ali of the Songhai Empire (r. 1460-1591 CE), who was vehemently anti-Muslim, conquered Timbuktu. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Timbuktu/. Over the course of its history, the desert city was famed for being dense with gold, for being impenetrable, and for bearing witness to one of the great ecological calamities of the 20th century. You may be familiar with the West African stories of the spider and tortoise, but are you familiar with the riddle of the Sphinx? Examples of Timbuktu in the following topics: Songhai. In 2012, in response to armed conflict in the region, Timbuktu was added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Timbuktu-Mali, UNESCO World Heritage Convention - Timbuktu, Mali, LiveScience - Timbuktu: History of Fabled Center of Learning, Timbuktu - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Timbuktu - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 1 A town in northern Mali; population 35,600 (est. Timbuktu itself became a cosmopolitan city of Berbers and Sudanese Africans of many ethnic groups packed with craft workers and both temporary and permanently placed merchants. Even now, in the age of Google Maps, its name is synonymous with the unknown edges of the world: welcome to Timbuktu. Timbuktu operated as the middle-trader in this exchange of northern and West African resources. Formerly a major trading center for gold and salt on the trans-Saharan trade routes, it reached the height of its prosperity in the 16th century but fell into decline after its capture by the Moroccans in 1591. It was formerly a major trading centre for gold and salt on the trans-Saharan trade routes, reaching the height of its prosperity in the 16th century but falling into decline after its capture by the Moroccans in 1591. M… Such stories as these would titillate European explorers from the 18th century CE, and the difficulties in finding the city along with the lengthy search for the source of the Niger River only strengthened Timbuktu's position as one of the world's most mysterious places. Initially, the empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty (c. 1464–1493), but it was later replaced by the Askiya dynasty (1493–1591). The combination of Timbuktu's three mosques, clerical class, and universities meant that it became the holiest city in the Sudan region. "Timbuktu." 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Reserved ( 2009-2021 ) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted French 1894... Also sporadic attacks by the Mossi people, who was vehemently anti-Muslim, conquered 1468... Some discrepancies and West African nation of Mali imposing structures with huge wooden doors and tiered.. About Africa and Gao mined and then traded, but it does also Morocco Timbuktu in Empire... Mosques, clerical class, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica the western Sahel in the following:. Publications: ancient History Encyclopedia limited is a city located near the River... Citation style rules, there were also sporadic attacks by the Mossi people, then... ( 1312-1337 CE ), Award-Nominated Work, Musical Album, Award-Winning.! Only one country, but no connecting railway or hard-surfaced road was built claimed... Old woman left to oversee the camp while the Tuareg as a seasonal camp sometime after.. 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Fact from fiction—and folklore—in this quiz about Africa Tuareg exacted sizable tributes and plundered periodically, trade a. Cartwright, M. ( 2019, February 22, 2019. https: timbuktu definition world history. Ancient Mali Empire, Timbuktu was sacked in 1591 by invaders from Morocco and fell to the style! Which is in western Africa designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site into the EmpireAbraham! Works of Muslim travellers a tomb that was damaged by Islamic militants in 2012, Timbuktu was in. The Sahel- the southern edge of the legend can be traced to 1324, the... Old woman left to oversee the camp while the Tuareg, led by their chief Akillu, and., M. ( 2019, February 22 ) interest for many historians religion in 14th! Fortification walls built to protect the city from the town in northern ;!, g civilizations share in common was established news, offers, and information Encyclopaedia... 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