Was the Moroccan occupation the cause of the decline or was it the shift in commerce after Europe “discovers” the Americas? Or both? Previously, Timbuktu was a stopping point in the over land trade, but now much of the trade was being done by sea. Upon his return, however, Baba found a Timbuktu in decline. When the king’s son ascended to the throne, he released Baba and allowed him to return to Timbuktu. Yet, so great was his knowledge that he impressed the king and locals went to Baba’s home to attend classes. He and his family were deported to Morocco and Baba was placed under house arrest.

When Morocco invaded Timbuktu to advance that country’s regional hegemony, Baba was among the intellectuals who were arrested for protesting the occupation. Educational institutions generated what became known as the “Manuscripts of Timbuktu.” Among the Manuscripts were prayer books, writings on Mohammed’s moral teachings, texts in many languages (Arabic, Greek, Latin), essays, correspondence, poetry, literature, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences.Įmerging out of this milieu of intellectual inquiry was the legendary Ahmed Baba (portrayed by charismatic actor Eriq Ebouaney who played the title role in the feature film, Lumumba) a leading scholar and educator of the 16th and 17th centuries. Literacy among men, women and children was high in Timbuktu. The Sankoré Mosque also laid the groundwork for Sankoré University, which became the most famous university in sub-Saharan Africa. This mosque is now designated a World Heritage site as is the Sankoré Mosque. To indicate the breadth of connections between Timbuktu and different parts of the medieval world, the 14th century Emperor of the Mali Empire, Kankan Musa had the famous Djingereber Mosque built from the designs of an architect from Moorish Andalusia. People learned Arabic to study the Koran and for commerce with Egypt and other lands. The relationship between religious institutions and intellectual life mirrored similar developments between the Church and universities in Europe. These mosques also became sites for the serious study of sacred texts.

Religious centers were founded there so that the traveling merchants could practice their faith. Enslaved persons, salt, gold and other precious metals passed through and many cultures converged there. Timbuktu was a hub for the traders of goods from various locales south of the Sahara to the Mediterranean, as well as the Arab and Muslim worlds. During that époque, the area was often called, as it is in the film, (Western) Sudan, not to be confused with the contemporary nation located below Egypt. Timbuktu was founded in the 11th century as a major city in the Mali Empire and its prominence lasted until the 18th century. It establishes the importance of preserving the thousands of manuscripts from long ago as an exciting and empowering legacy for Africana scholarship today. The film successfully documents that Africa had vibrant scholarly institutions and written cultures long before European intervention.

It was a leading cultural, economic, scientific and religious center that made a significant and lasting impact on Africa and the entire world. Featuring the knowledgeable commentary by African scholars, rich reenactments, and an original musical score by Vieux Farka Touré, the essential documentary The Manuscripts of Timbuktu critiques this limited view by firmly demonstrating that Timbuktu was once thriving and home to an advanced civilization. One of the definitions for Timbuktu in the Oxford Dictionary is “any distant or remote place”. In French and Arabic with English subtitles Producer: David Max Brown, Director: Zola Maseko, Executive Producer: SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) California Newsreel - THE MANUSCRIPTS OF TIMBUKTUĥ2 minutes, 2009, South Africa, Mali, Morocco

Timbuktu manuscripts history