Why is it called Sankoré?

The history of Sankoré and its university

• Founded in Timbuktu in the 15th century, Sankoré is one of the oldest universities in the world.
• Sankoré is first of all the name of a sponsor, a “grand dame of Timbuktu, very rich and wanting to do good deeds,” who built a mosque in her homeland.
• Sankoré then became the name of this famous Timbuktu mosque, which was, for over four centuries, from the 14th to the 18th century, the most brilliant home to culture and education of Timbuktu and from the Sudan.
• Sankoré is also the name of the Timbuktu neighborhood that is home to the mosque of the same name.

Sankoré takes its naem from San (noble) and Koréi (neighborhood). In Timbuktu, the title of San was usually given to doctors and wise people living in the neighborhood around the Sankoré mosque.

• The time the Sankoré mosque was built is unknown, in the 14th century, between 1325 and 1433, during the Mandingo domination. According to the Tarikh-es-Soudan, it was built not long after the great mosque of Djingaréiber.
• The great Sidi Yahya, who died in 1463, taught there.  The sanctuary was completely demolished to be rebuilt between 1578 and 1582 based on a plan by El Agib, cadi of Timbuktu and restorer of the famous mosques of Timbuktu, Djingaréiber, and Sidi-Yahya. “He gave it the exact length and width of the Kaaba in Mecca, measures that he had taken with ropes during his pilrimage,” Tarikh-ès-Soudan relates.
• One century later, on August 7, 1678, the mosque’s minaret fell, according to Tedzkiret en - Nizian. Fairly important repair work was reported by the same text in 1709, 1710, and 1732.
• René Caillé, who visited it in 1828, noted that it was still in good condition at that time.
• Barth, on the other hand, in 1853-1854 reports that the Fula had brought it to ruin and abandon.
• Sheikh El-Bakay had it rebuilt to its former splendor during Barth’s stay.
• Today, the Sankoré mosque is fighting desperately against the sands invading from the North and East.
• Early on, it attracted many students and well-known teachers. Great teachers taught here and were distinguished by the breadth of their knowledge and by their personal virtues.
• One of them, Mohamed-el-Kabari (from Kabara, a Timbuktu port on the Niger) tells us of them: “I was the contemporary of righteous of Sankoré who were equaled in their righteousness only by the Companions of the Messenger of God...”  Studies dealt with theology, law, grammar, poetry, history, geography, and astronomy.
• As early as the 14th century, Sankoré enjoyed a great reputation beyond the Sudan and attracted many students from North Africa and the Orient.  Scholars from the Orient had no problem coming here to perfect their knowledge.

This was the case of Sidi-Abderrahman-Et q-Temini, who came from Hedjaz (Arabia), in the company of Kankoun Moussa, emperor of Mali, when he came back from his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325. He settled in Timbuktu and found the city teeming with Sudanese jurisconsults. As soon as he realized that they knew more about law than he did, he left for Fez, took up the study of law, then came back to settle in Timbuktu again.

Among the well-known teachers of Sankoré, were:

• El Hajj, Cadi of Timbuktu in the last years of the domination of Mali (before 1433-34) who founded an educational process for teaching the Koran divided into hizbs;
• Sidi Yahya Tadelsi, the most famous of Timbuktu residents. He came to Timbuktu at the start of the Touareg government (1433).
• His friend, the chief of Timbuktu, Mohamed Naddi, had him build a mosque and entrusted him to be its imam.

The Sidi Yahya is one of the historical monuments of Timbuktu today.

“The divine Sidi Yahya reached the highest level of science, virtue, and sainthood. His reputation spread throughout every country and throughout the universe. Of all those who set foot in Timbuktu, no one was as eminent as Sidi Yahya.” (Tarikh-es-Soudan). His encyclopedic mind embraced all the knowledge of his time. Without contest, he dominated his contemporaries, and a preacher, Abou-Zéid-Abderrahman, said, “It became the duty of the people of Timbuktu to visit the mausoleum of Sidi-Yahya every day to obtain blessings from him and they had to do it even if they lived three days’ walk from the city...” Sidi Yahya was elegized by Mohamed-el-Kabari in lines that remained famous, and declared about the death of the great teacher of Sankoré: “The passing of such an intellect from this world is a grief which manifests itself in every country and in every man of value.” Sankoré owes a large part of its reputation to Sidi Yahya, who died in 1463-64. Sidi Yahya Tadelsi – Abdoul-Anda-Ag Mohamed was the professor of a large number of teachers among the inhabitants of Sankoré in the 15th century: the Agits (whites) and Bagayogos (blacks) whose lessons attracted a great crowd of African students who came from many different regions. Sankoré was made proud of the teaching of Mahmoud Kati or Koti, author of Tarikh-el-Fettach, the first history book written by Malians, begun in 1519 and completed by his grandson Mocktar in 1665; Mahmoud Kati was witness to the entire century of the Askias (1493-1591) and died in 1593 at the age of 125. One of Sankoré’s most important figures, the famous Ahmed-Baba, his contemporary, universally known throughout North Africa and the Orient, also taught here before the end of the Askia dynasty and during the Moroccan domination. Taken into captivity in Morocco in 1593, he remained there for 20 years, then returned to Timbuktu, where he resumed his classes in Sankoré and died on April 22, 1627. He was the author of many works and many biographies. His works were partially kept in Morocco, in Rabat and Marrakech. In addition to Sidi-Yahya, Ahmed Baba Mahamoud Koti (or Kati), El Hadj, it is necessary to mention Ahmed-ben-Godala, jurisconsult, theologian, lexicographer, grammarian, prosodist, and scholar. He died in 1536 at the age of 80, and left behind a 700-volume library. Mohamed ben-Godala, the Sanhajian, the Timbuktu, Cadi of Timbuktu, eminent man of the law. With him, law studies made great progress and students of the subject became more numerous. The works that he taught were the Modaouonana, the Risala by Abou-Zéid-el quaïrouâni, a very widespread work on malikite law, the Mukhtasar of Khalil, the Afrya, an Arab grammar in verse by Ibn Malek; the Seladjiya. He spread the work of Khalil in the Sudan and covered his copy with comments, that one of his students published, in the form of a commentary, in two volumes. During his 50 years of teaching at Sankoré, he came into close relations with many scholars from the Arab world he traveled through during his pilgrimage to Mecca. Maklouf-ben-Salih-El Belbâli, jurisconsult and geographer, great traveler, he traveled the orient, the Holy places of Mecca and Medina, was called to Morocco to teach in Marrakech, where he was imprisoned. He returned to die in Timbuktu, his homeland, in 1534. Mohamed-Ali-ben-Yahya le Sanbadjien, cadi of Timbuktu, who taught rhetoric and logic to the father of the author of the Tarikh-es-Soudan, Es Saadi. El Agît-ben Abdallah-el-Ansammani, the Messoufite, originally from Takeda, a great traveler and author of many works. El Agît-ben-Yahya, famous in Mecca and Arabia, teacher of Ahmed Baba; he died in 1583. Ahmed-ben-Mohamed-Agît-ben Oumar-ben Ali-ben Yahya, father and teacher of Es-Saadi, jurisconsult, theologian, son of a jurisconsult and theologian, with a sharp and shrewd mind, traditional scholar, “he studied: as his son tells us: the theory of law, rhetoric, logic.” His well-stocked library contained all the rare and precious works. He traveled and studied the Orient with the greatest teachers. Mohamed Bagayogo, the Wankoré (Sarakollé), from Timbuktu, jurisconsult, theologian, educator, scholar.  He spent all his life teaching. And his patience was such that one of his fellow students one day said of him: “I think that this jurisconsult drank the water of Zemzem (holy in Mecca) to never be disheartened with teaching. I took his classes diligently for over ten years, Es-Saadi, author of Tarikh-Es-Soudan tells us.  I read the entire Muktasar of Khalil with him around eight times. - I studied with him in order to have complete knowledge of it,- the Mouatta, the Teshil (a grammar treatise in prose, Ibn Malek that I examined in depth and from all sides for three years;- the Osouls of Es-Sebki with the commentary by El-Mahlli; Alfiya (treatise in verse on the traditions) by El Iraqï, with commentary by the author,- the Telkhis el Miftah with a summary by Es-Saadi, twice at least; the Sogbra by Es-Senoussi, the commentary by El-Djezaïriya (poem on the unity of God): the Es-Ibikem by Ibn-Ata-Allah (treatise on morality and mysticism, with commentary by Zerrouq; the Nadm (poem on calculating nativities) by Abou-Mogra’a and the Hachemiya on astrology with their commentaries; the Moqqdima (treatise for determining the time of prayers) by Et-Tadjouri on this subject; the Redjez by El Moghilé on logic; the khazérédjia (didactic poem on prosody) on meter with commentary by sherif Es-Sibti, a large part of the Tohfat-el-Hakkam (treatise on malikite law) by Ibn-Acem with the commentary by the author’s son. I also studied with him the Ferais – by Ibn-El-Hâdjeb, complete study and critique; I attended his classes on the Taudih by Sidi-Khélil; I also studied with him a large part of the El-Montega by El-Badji; the Modaouana by Abdou’l-Hasen ez-Zerouaïli; the Chifa by Iyâd; half of the Salih by El-Bokhari with his interpretation and all of the Salih by Moslim on several occasions; the Modkbel by Ibn-El-Hadjeb; finally, I attended some of his lessons on the Kisala, the Alfiya, etc... I started with him the sublime Koran up to the middle of the A’raf sura. I heard him read the entire Djam’i el-mi-yar (work on jurisprudence) by El-Ouancherisi, a work that formed a large volume, and still other subjects...To sum up, he was my professor, my teacher, and no one was as useful to me as he was. He issued diplomas to me written in his own hand on the subjects that he taught.” He died in 1593. This list helps to get an idea of the breadth of the knowledge of the people of Sankoré who had no reason to envy the contemporaries of Rabelais. Sankoré was an educational research center, where the great teachers compared their experience.  Under the impetus of Askia Mohamed, teaching was developed at Sankoré. Scholars and writers were protected and encouraged. During the century of the Askias (1493-1591) the University of Sankoré took on its greatest luster, and radiated across a large part of Africa, from the Red Sea to the Atlantic, from the Spanish Coasts to the Gulf of Guinea, the scientific and literary glory of Timbuktu.  It was only different from the Universities of its time by its lack of legal status. Renowned writers from North Africa and the Orient came here to complete their studies and sometimes settled here permanently, like the famous Ahmed Baba. The authors of the Tarikh-el-Fettach, the first history book written by the Sudanese, Mohammed Katé and his grandsons, of the Tarikh-es-Soudan, Es-Saadi, the unknown authors of the Tedzekiret en Nizian owe much to the teachings of Sankoré. Literature prospered here in the 16th through 18th century, and the products of this literature are only now beginning to be reveled bit by bit through the discovery of highly interesting works, written in Arabic by the Sarakoles, Songhois, Arabs, and Touaregs. The turbulent crowd of students and inhabitants of Sankoré formed the opinion; the greats of the day and their courtesans feared the mockery and their sarcasm. There is a distinction made between the talibes, who were the students, and those who had finished their studies without completing the highest grades, and who were merely well-read. Graduating students who became oulemas, received as a sign the turban and had to provide as an outfit, according to the general custom, two bubus, two large pants, two turbans, and two hats, plus two mounts, a horse and a mare. Despite the Moroccan conquest in 1591, Sankoré continued to shine for another two centuries. The progress of instruction was facilitated by the distribution of books and thanks to the printshops located in Timbuktu and Djenne by the Moroccans. These archaic printshops did not disappear until around 1930. At the same time that Sankoré was ensuring the intellectual superiority of Timbuktu, it also became a political place where grave decisions were made concerning the fate of the city. It was the soul of the resistance against all tyranny, opression, and foreign domination. It opposed the Moroccans with a ferocious determination. On October 20, 1593, Moroccan riflemen of the pacha Mahamoud seized with treachery the notables of Timbuktu gathered in the Sankoré mosque to renew the oath of loyalty to the Sultan of Morocco, and massacred them. Then the pacha Mahamoud sent to Marrakech the prisoners who had escaped the massacre, with some of their children, close relatives, men and women. There were almost 70 of them. None of them would ever return, with the exception of Ahmed Baba, mentioned earlier, in captivity for 20 years in Morocco. Sankoré was also a nursery for leaders of the Sudanese empires between the 19th century and the end of the 18th century: notaries, cadis, secretaries to sovereigns, Sudanese writers, historians, and chroniclers, who came away after 15 to 20 years of study and practice, formed along with those from Djenne, a metropolis of the Central Nigerian Delta, the framework of the administration and cultural life of the Empire of the Askias of Gao. The 19th century, with the insecurity and the sucessions of the bambara, fula, Toucouleur, Touareg, and French dominations in Timbuktu led to the decline, then the ruin of Sankoré as an intellectual center. Only the mosque survived the vagaries of history. But the incomparable memory of the school of Sankoré remains indelible in the memory of the inhabitants of Timbuktu. Every year, on the occasion of the Mouloud, the greatest holiday in Timbuktu, they make a pilgrimage to Sankoré and the two other famous sanctuaries, Djingaréiber and Sidi-Yahya. After the ritualistic tours of the great mosque of Djingaréiber, Kaaba in Mecque, they gather in large part before Sankoré.

But not only Timbuktu remembers Sankoré. Almost all the regions of the savannah and West African Sahel remember it. At the University of Ibadan in Western Nigeria, Sankoré and Djenne streets lead to the main library.

And that says a lot.

Professor Bakari KAMIAN
Associate Professor,

born in 1928 in San, Republic of Mali.

Associate Professor, Paris Sorbonne Professor, Vice Principal, Principal of Lycée Askia Mohamed, Bamako (1959 – 1963),

Professor, Executive Director of the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Mali (1964 – 1967),

General Secretary of the National Scientific and Technical Research Board to the President of the Republic of Mali (1967 – 1968), International civil servant with the UNESCO secretariat in Paris (1968 – 1971),

Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (1972 – 1979)

Author of several works in Geography, History, Education, culture, Communications, including:

• Sankoré et ses environs, étude de géographie urbaine, Sorbonne – 1957
• Géomorphologie de la Vallée Bani dans la région de San, Paris, Sorbonne – 1957
• Connaissance de la République du Mali – 1962 Géographie et Histoire du Mali, Revue Suisse Parallèles, Geneva 1968
• Le livre et l’éducation Dakar, numéro spécial du soleil – 1973
• Djénné and Timbuktu, Paris, Bamako – 2000
• Des tranchées de Verdun à l’Eglise Saint-Bernard, 80 000 combattants maliens au secours de la France, Karthala, Paris – 2001

Commander of the National Order of the Republic of Guinea, Conakry  – 1979

Commander of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal – 1979

Commander of the National Order of the French Republic– 2003

Officer Of Academic Palms of France, Commander of the National Order of Mali – 1979