Africa’s 10 Capitals of Islamic Culture — theculturetrip.com

Timbuktu is absolutely essential in uncovering the written culture of Africa. It was once the intellectual capital of the continent, and a centre of scholastic activity. In its golden age , around the 15-16th Century, Islamic intellectuals would flock to Timbuktu, viewing the area as a useful platform for them to propagate Islam throughout Africa. Today, one can imagine what it was like back then by admiring the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and the city's impressive mosques, Djingareyber Sidi Yahia and Sankore. Sadly the Ahmed Baba Centre was set on fire by Islamist rebels, an action denounced by ISESCO, yet fortunately many of the historical medieval manuscripts were saved. There is also an active contemporary music scene, as exemplified by the Festival au Desert, normally held every year in Timbuktu, that shows the best in Tuareg music. Ultimately, Timbuktu still holds the key to discovering Africa's intellectual history.

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