Timbuktu, one of the world’s first and oldest university

On By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations
Timbuktu
Timbuktu

Oh wow… I always knew Timbuktu (Tombouctou in Mali) because of the story of the great emperor of the kingdom of Mali, Mansa Kankan Musa. I knew it was the center of his empire, but it is only lately that I realized that it was one of the world’s first and oldest thriving university! Students came from all over the world to study at Timbuktu. Imagine that, students from the middle east, and Europe coming to Africa to study! oooohhhh … Goodness Gracious, that sight only would make me proud! Well, to those who say Africa only has an oral tradition, go and check out the 700,000 manuscripts at the great Sankore University in Timbuktu, and tell me what you think! Oh la la…

In one documentary, the speaker mentions that they translated one of the manuscript on Algebra from Arabic to

Sankore University in Timbuktu
Sankore University in Timbuktu

French, and sent it to France to be evaluated educationally; well, that manuscript revealed that the mathematics it contained was currently studied in 2nd year of university in France, and the speaker then says “and that was taught at universities in Timbuktu before the 16th century“!  Wow… my Goodness!

Timbuktu also houses some of the world’s oldest mud mosques, and every year the people of the city unite to re-do the walls of the mosque. It was added to the UNESCO world’s heritage list in 1988  (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119/).

Read about it on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu

43 thoughts on “Timbuktu, one of the world’s first and oldest university”

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  6. sirbear

    I am from jamaica and my wife didn’t actually know that there is such a university. The minute I researched and showed it to her she was really taken aback and was proud that our motherland has the first university in the world

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  17. Jesse

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  26. Formanji

    wao i feel very great reading such information concerning Africa please lets work hand in gloves to keep the African continent upgraded. thanks

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  27. Hey readers! As you probably already know, Match Day has come and gone, and I am still very excited this is noted here.. we haven’t yet watched the university of timbuktu in a video . You can see it for yourself here:Mali is very old civilisation .This name University of timbuktou should be the name of Mali university now.It will make people proud of their soil.
    The country leaders should not forget the renew old names.

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  29. Mr. Gilbert

    Hello my name is Mr. Gilbert as given by my parents slave master and I do not know who my grandparents are maybe because my father Gerald Gilbert was born in 1929 and his father was born in I year that I don’t know. I have very personal concerns about my identity. and this search began after my father was murdered in 1998 in St Croix USVI. So I began a ancestry search for my family line and trying to find out who am I and where did I come from. October 1st is my birthday and so I wanted and completed a DNA test and I got the results a few days ago which says that I am Nigerian, Ivory Coast Ghanian Cameroon Congo Bantu among other minor African roots and that I was also 9% European. Can anyone please help me find my grandparents and their parents please???????
    I can be reached at grogergilbert@gmail.com

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    1. Hello Gilbert, I am saddedned by the events you related about your father. However, I am glad you took a DNA test which told you about your ancestry. I am not sure how to help. What are the percentages of these communities in you? You could check out the website of Dr. Lisa Aubrey who works on finding more information on the slave fort of Bimbia in Cameroon. There are other researchers who focus on Ghana, Nigeria, and others. All the best in your quest.

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  30. lisa aubrey

    Hi Gilbert and Dr Y. Dr. Y, thank your for recommending that Gilbert get in touch. I appreciate it and this is the type of work that we do in our organization Roots and Reconnection. My email address is rootsreconnection@gmail. com Gilbert, I we would love to try to assist you. We also have a pilgrimage to Bimbia in at the end of December and beginning of January. Please consider joining us. If you or anyone else is interested, please contact us at the email address above. Many thanks. Bimbia calling.

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    1. Dear Pr. Aubrey, I am delighted to hear from you. I love your work on Bimbia and raise my hat for the outstanding discoveries and reconnection to the past you have made. I will definitely consider joining you for the pilgrimage.

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