Wikipedia

University of Sankoré

ancient center for learning insyd Timbuktu, Mali

Sankoré Madrasa (dem sanso dey bell am de Sankoré Mosque, Sankoré Masjid anaa University of Sankoré) be one of three medieval mosques den centres of learning wey dey locate insyd Timbuktu, Mali, de odas be de Djinguereber den Sidi Yahya mosques. Dem found am insyd de 14th century,[1] de Sankoré mosque go thru multiple periods of patronage den renovation under both de Mali Empire den de Songhai Empire til ein decline wey dey follow de Battle of Tondibi insyd 1591. De mosque develop go madrasa (wey dey mean school anaa college insyd Arabic), e reach ein peak insyd de 16th century.[2] Dem samtyms dey appy de term "University of Sankoré" to de Sankoré madrasa, though evidence no dey of centralized teaching institution such as de term university dey imply.[3] Instead de mosque serve as de focal point for individual scholars plus dema own private students, den as location for wich dem dey hold sam lectures den classes.[4][5]

University of Sankoré
university, mosque
Part ofTimbuktu, University of Timbuktu Edit
Year dem found am988 Edit
CountryMali Edit
Edey de administrative territorial entity insydTimbuktu Edit
Coordinate location16°46′33″N 3°0′20″W Edit
ManufacturerMansa Musa Edit
Architectural styleSudano-Sahelian architecture Edit
Heritage designationpart of UNESCO World Heritage Site Edit
Map

History

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Na dem originally build de Sankoré mosque insyd de 14th-15th centuries plus de financial backing of Tuareg woman of de Aghlal tribe.[6][7] Modern analyzes reject de understanding dat na der be al-Sahili influence for West African architecture top - now dem treat am as myth - dey demonstrate say de architectural style of West African mosques dem derive mainly from mosques insyd de Sahara den traditional African architecture den religions.[8]

Na dem later restore de Sankore Mosque between 1578 den 1582 AD by Imam Al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar, de Chief Qadi (judge) of Timbuktu. Imam al-Aqib demolish de sanctuary wey he make dem rebuild am plus de dimensions of de Kaaba insyd Mecca. De Sankoré madrasa prosper den cam turn significant place of learning within de Sudanic Muslim world, especially during de 15th den 16th centuries under Askia dynasty of de Songhai Empire (1493–1591).[9] Na Sankoré be de mosque wey na ebe chiefly associate plus teaching insyd Timbuktu for dis period insyd.[10]

Growth as center of learning

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Timbuktu develop as commercial centre insyd de 14th century, as Walata, de previous hub of trans-Saharan trade insyd de region, e begin dey decline for importance.[11][12] Na e no be long before ideas as well as merchandise begin dey pass thru de city. Muslim scholars dem associate plus de Sankoré mosque accumulate wealth of books from thru out de Muslim world, dey lead to Sankoré make e cam turn centre of learning as well as centre of worship.[13] For ein peak na de mosque be de focal point for class of Islamic scholars twey na dem hold dem for high regard both locally den abroad. Songhai kings go even bestow numerous gifts for dema top during Ramadan.[14]

Scholars of Sankoré

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De African civilizations get rich history insyd literature den de arts, long before dema contact plus de Arabian den Western worlds. De scholars dem employ for de Sankoré university na ebe of de highest quality, "dey astound even de most learned men of Islam".[15] As such, dem later induct scholars as professors for universities insyd Morocco den Egypt.[16] Scholars na dem be accomplished insyd multiple disciplines wey dem employ make dem no teach de students per for de university, buh make dem spread de madrasa ein influence to oda parts of de Islamic world.[17][18] Under de direction of Askia Daoud, ruler of de Songhai empire from 1549 to 1583, de university grow to encompass 180 facilities den house 25,000 students. Na one Ulema dey lead each facility, for total of 180 scholars.

Notable Scholars

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Sam significant scholars dey include Abu Abdallah, Ag Mohammed ibn Utman, Ag Mohammed Ibn Al-Mukhtar An-Nawahi.[19] Most cam from wealthy den religious families wey na dem be members of de Sufi Qadiriyya. Na de most influential scholar be Ahmad Bamba wey na he serve as de final chancellor of Sankoré Madrasa. Ein life be brilliant example of de range den depth of West African intellectual activity before colonialism. Na he be de author of over forty books, plus nearly each one dey get different theme. Na he sanso be one of de first citizens make dem protest de Moroccan conquest of Timbuktu insyd 1591. Eventually, he, along plus ein peer scholars, na dem imprison den exile dem go Morocco. Dis lead to de loss of ein personal collection of 1,600 books, wich na ebe one of de richest libraries of ein day.[16]

Religious Pilgrimage

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Apart from dema time working insyd dema theoretical studies den de preservation of knowledge, na de scholars of Timbuktu be extremely pious. Chaw embark for de Hajj, de religious pilgrimage go Mecca, wey dem use dis opportunity make dem hold discussions plus scholars from oda parts of de Muslim world. For de way home, de scholars show dema humble nature by both dem dey learn from oda leading scholars insyd Cairo, wey dem dey volunteer make dem teach pupils of oda schools insyd Kano, Katsina, den Walata.[16] Mohammed Bagayogo receive honorary doctorate insyd Cairo for ein holy pilgrimage go Mecca.[20]

References

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  1. ↑ "Timbuktu". UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
  2. ↑ "Wonders of the African World - Episodes - Road to Timbuktu - Wonders". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  3. ↑ 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–lxii. ISBN 90-04-12822-0. The term 'University of Sankore', or 'University of Timbuktu' has been applied to this teaching complex. … there is no evidence of any such institution, and the Islamic tradition of learning (especially in Africa) is individualized rather than institutionalized … what was taking place in Timbuktu should be viewed within the cultural context of Islamic civilisation, rather than being associated conceptually with a European-style institution. … much of the day-to-day teaching process took place in scholar's houses, probably in special rooms set apart, where the scholar had his own private library which he could consult when knotty points arose. There is no evidence of a centralized teaching institution such as the term university implies.
  4. ↑ Singleton, Brent D. (2004). "African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu". Library Faculty Publications. 21. The fully-qualified ulama of Timbuktu were a tight-knit community never numbering more than 200-300 at any particular time; they were concentrated in discrete quarters and mosques of the city. With the exception of special lectures given in the main mosques, the vast majority of instruction occurred in one-on-one or small group settings at the residence of a scholar.
  5. ↑ Hunwick, John, ed. (2003). Arabic Literature of Africa, Volume 4: The Writings of Western Sudanic Africa. Brill. p. 2. ISBN 90-04-12444-6. The city's educational reputation has led some people to speak of a Timbuktu university, beginning with Felix Dubois, who wrote of the "University of Sankore". While the Sankore quarter in the north-east of Timbuktu certainly was an area which attracted many scholars to live in it, nevertheless, there is no evidence of any institutionalized centre of learning. Teaching of some texts was undertaken in the Sankore mosque, and also in the Sidi Yahya mosque and the "Great Mosque" – Jingere Ber – but teaching authorisations (ijaza) always came directly from the shaykhs with whom the students studied. Much of the teaching was done in scholars homes, and individual scholars had their own personal research and teaching libraries.
  6. ↑ 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
  7. ↑ "Sankore Mosque". Google Arts & Culture.
  8. ↑ Aradeon, Susan B. (1989). "Al-Sahili: the historians' myth of architectural technology transfer from North Africa". Journal des africanistes. 59 (1–2): 99–131.
  9. ↑ Woods, Michael (2009). Seven wonders of ancient Africa. Mary B. Woods. London: Lerner. ISBN 978-0-7613-4320-2. OCLC 645691064.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Dubois, Félix (1896). Timbuctoo the mysterious. New York, Longmans, Green and Co.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 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.
  17. ↑ Lawton, Bishop (2020-06-27). "Sankore Mosque and University (c. 1100- ) •". Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  18. ↑ "Wonders of the African World - Episodes - Road to Timbuktu - Wonders". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  19. ↑ "The University of Sankore, Timbuktu". Muslim Heritage. 2003-06-07. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  20. ↑ Michael A. Gomez. African Dominion : A New History of Empire in Early and Medieval West Africa. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018, pg. 357.

Read further

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  • Saad, Elias N. (1983). Social History of Timbuktu: The Role of Muslim Scholars and Notables 1400–1900. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24603-2.
  • Gomez, Michael A. (2018). African Dominion: A New History of Empire in Early and Medieval West Africa. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691177427
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