The pyramid minaret
Stepped.
Ousmane Garba Kounta — CC BY-SA 4.0 · upyernoz from Haverford, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Angeline A. van Achterberg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Angeline A. van Achterberg — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Sankore Mosque is one of three medieval mosques and centres of learning in Timbuktu, along with Djinguereber and Sidi Yahya. It was founded in the 14th or early 15th century and became a madrasa for scholars and their students. It is sometimes called the University of Sankore and forms part of Timbuktu's World Heritage site. It was built with the financial backing of a Tuareg woman of the Aghlal tribe. It saw periods of patronage and renewal under the Mali and Songhai empires until its decline after the Battle of Tondibi in 1591. It was not a central teaching institution like European universities, but a place where scholars met their students and held classes. You see a stepped pyramid minaret of sand-coloured earth bristling with wooden beams, above a courtyard ringed by low walls with serrated tops. Sandy streets, mud houses and a few trees surround it. It glows golden under the clear desert sky. The Djinguereber Mosque is about 700 metres away in a straight line. Non-Muslims usually view it from outside. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to the whole of Mali, so read the current advice before any planning.
Stepped.
Serrated walls.
Under clear skies.
North-east Timbuktu, Mali
It was a place where scholars met students, not a central institution.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the whole of Mali.
