"

Timbuktu is probably one of the most famous cities in Africa, with an easily recognisable name that almost everyone has heard of. However, few know where it is or why it is famous.

Timbuktu is thought to have been founded near the end of the 5th century, according to UNESCO, the UN cultural agency that lists the ancient city among its top heritage sites.

The city is situated in the West African state of Mali, 15km north of the River Niger and on the southern edge of Sahara Desert. It is the major city in the Timbuktu region, one of eight administrative regions of Mali.

Timbuktu was known as the intellectual centre for the propagation of Islamic teachings throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries and it is single most powerful and long-lasting contribution to Islamic and world civilization is scholarship.

It is famous for its prestigious Quranic Sankore University and madrasas.

But the city and its people became victim to decay and decline from the 17th century and Timbuktu became a by-word for nowhere in particular."

source : Al Jazeera

"

Ancient manuscripts from Africa’s desert north, appearing in public for the first time, have gone on display in Johannesburg after President Thabo Mbeki launched an appeal for funds to save a vital element of African cultural history.

The manuscripts are from the National Ahmed Baba Centre for Documentation and Research in Timbuktu in Mali, which was once an important cultural crossroads that attracted scholars from far afield in the African and Arab worlds.

Experts say documents kept at the centre, some dating back to the 13th century and finely illuminated, are important because they show that Africa had a long written tradition rather than, as is commonly supposed, an oral one; and that African culture was alive and vibrant long before the European Renaissance.

“This is the first time these manuscripts have left the institute,” said the director of the establishment, Mohamed Gallah Dicko. “They never leave for reasons of preservation and security.”

source : Al Jazeera

"Timbuktu (/ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː/ TIM-buk-TOO; French: Tombouctou; Tuareg: ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, romanized: Tin Buqt; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu) is a city in Mali, situated twenty kilometres (12 mi) north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali. It had a population of 54,453 in the 2009 census.

Timbuktu started out as a seasonal settlement and became a permanent settlement early in the 12th century. After a shift in trading routes, particularly after the visit by Mansa Musa around 1325, Timbuktu flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory, and slaves. It became part of the Mali Empire early in the 14th century. In the first half of the 15th century, the Tuareg tribes took control of the city for a short period until the expanding Songhai Empire absorbed the city in 1468. A Moroccan army defeated the Songhai in 1591 and made Timbuktu, rather than Gao, their capital. The invaders established a new ruling class, the Arma, who after 1612 became virtually independent of Morocco. However, the golden age of the city, when it was a major learning and cultural centre of the Mali Empire, was over, and it entered a long period of decline. Different tribes governed until the French took over in 1893, a situation that lasted until it became part of the current Republic of Mali in 1960. Presently, Timbuktu is impoverished and suffers from desertification.

In its Golden Age, the town's numerous Islamic scholars and extensive trading network supported an important book trade: together with the campuses of the Sankore Madrasah, an Islamic university, this established Timbuktu as a scholarly centre in Africa. Several notable historic writers, such as Shabeni and Leo Africanus, wrote about the city. These stories fuelled speculation in Europe, where the city's reputation shifted from being extremely rich to being mysterious."

source : Wikipedia

I had been impressed by the history and cultural importance of Timbuktu, specially after seeing an Al Jazeera programme segment (

Al Jazeera English - Witness: Timbuktu Scribes

) which showed the work of modern scribes who hand copy ancient manuscripts, in a variety of scripts and languages, some from far off East Africa.

Timbuktu was a center of knowledge in very early times, and I think it is a richly deserving theme for a Malian Location stamp. Thank you for considering this.

All from linked Wikipedia page.