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History of the Sankore’ Institute of Islamic-African Studies International


            The name SANKORE’ is taken from Black Africa’s oldest educational institutions located in the ancient city of Timbuktu. In 15th century Timbuktu, in general, and the Sankore’ University/Mosque complex, in particular, was the religious, scientific and literary center of the Bilad’s-Sudan. The University of Sankore’ was the intellectual magnet where pious scholars were drawn from all over the Muslim world.
            In the mosque there lived and taught the murabit, a scholar who by his profound knowledge of the shari`a, his learning and the dignity of his personal life became a model to society. This devout and cultured group lived within or around the precincts of the Sankore’ University/Mosque disseminating the teachings of al-Islam and providing the people of the government with highly sought after legal decisions. These scholar/notables were held in great esteem by both dignitaries and common people alike. Their knowledge astounded the most learned people of al-Islam. Because of them, pupils flocked to this university from all regions of the Muslim world.

           
To the government of Islamic Africa, the Sankore’ University/Mosque supplied generations of administrators, judges and functionaries of the state. to the wider community, the university furnished teachers, men of religion, jurist and a class of merchants, notaries and clerks.  There emerged within the vicinity of the Sankore’ University/Mosque complex scholarly guilds who combined the teaching of `ilm with the transmission of professional vocation. There were the Alfa guilds responsible for the transmission of the craft of scribe, tailoring and embroidery. There were the Arma guilds responsible for the transmission tanning and leatherwork. There were the Modibe’ guild responsible for the transmission of city planning, architecture, masjid construction and the important craft of grave digging (malu). They also supervised the gabibi guild of masons (soro banna), carpentry and smithing (diamouasi).       Among these respected and venerated modibe’ scholar/master builders was the erudite chief judge of Timbuktu, al-Qadi al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar who built the Sankore’ University/Mosque. He accomplished this with the financial assistance of a wealthy African woman who left a generous endowment for the founding and building of the famous educational center. Shaykh Mahmud Ka`ti described the process and building codes utilized for the building of Sankore’ in his Tareekh ‘l-Fataash,
“Al-Qadi Aqib made the pilgrimage . . .in the year 989 he began building the Sankore’ mosque, may Allah be merciful to him. I was informed by one of the shaykhs, ‘When he made the pilgrimage and prepared to take leave to return to Timbuktu, he took authorization from the attendants of the noble Kaaba to delineate the measurement of the Kaaba in length and breadth. They gave him permission and he measured it with a long cord measuring the length and breadth by marking these on the cord. He then brought this cord back to Timbuktu to serve as proportions. When he was ready to build the Sankore’ Mosque, he unrolled the cord and delineated the exact breadth he wanted to build by placing four pegs planted on the corners of the four directions. Thus the inner court of the mosque had the exact dimensions of the Kaaba. It is not deficient of excessive to it in any way. Continue>