Sankore Madrasah- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Sankoré Madrasah, a 14th-century mosque and scholarly hub in Timbuktu, Mali, stands among the city's historic centers of learning alongside Djinguereber and Sidi Yahya mosques. Flourishing under the Mali and Songhai empires, it became a key intellectual site by the 16th century, though it declined after 1591. While often called the "University of Sankoré," it functioned as a decentralized network of independent scholars and students rather than a formal institution. The mosque remains a testament to Timbuktu's legacy as a center of Islamic scholarship and manuscript culture.