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Timbuktu's Legal Revolution: The Qadi of the Sahel
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten legal world of Timbuktu. More than a city of scholars and manuscripts, Timbuktu was a center of Islamic jurisprudence that shaped the Sahel for centuries. We meet the qadis—judges who balanced sharia, local custom, and the practical needs of a desert trading hub. From the famous Ahmad Baba, who issued fatwas from exile in Marrakech, to the lesser-known Muhammad al-Kabir, we see how these legal minds handled cases of debt, marriage, and trade. We also uncover a fascinating 16th-century contract that shows how Timbuktu's courts dealt…
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