The Sankore Madrasa: Songhai's Great University

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Sankore Madrasa in Timbuktu, one of the world's oldest universities and a cornerstone of Songhai intellectual life. They discuss its origins under the Mali Empire, its golden age under Askia Muhammad Toure, and how it became a center for Islamic scholarship, law, astronomy, and medicine. The conversation highlights key scholars like Ahmed Baba, who wrote the Tarikh al-Sudan, and describes the bustling manuscript trade that made Timbuktu a hub of knowledge. They also touch on the Saadian invasion's devastating impact on Sankore, including the deportation of scholars to Marrakech. The episode brings this legacy to life with vivid details of daily academic life, the curriculum, and the library system. #SankoreMadrasa #Timbuktu #AhmedBaba #AskiaMuhammad #SonghaiEducation #IslamicScholarship #ManuscriptTrade #TarikhAlSudan #SaadianInvasion #MaliEmpire #WestAfrica #AfricanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #University #Scholars #BookTrade #IntellectualHistory #SonghaiEmpire #SunniAli Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo