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The Timbuktu Scholar Who Wrote a Universe
In this episode of Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge, we explore the life and work of Muhammad al-Mustafa al-Wangari, a 17th-century scholar from Timbuktu who wrote the Mīr'āt al-Ālam, or 'Mirror of the Universe.' This massive encyclopedia covered astronomy, geography, mathematics, and Islamic law, synthesizing knowledge from the Islamic world and West Africa. We discuss how al-Wangari used the works of al-Zarqali and al-Battani to calculate prayer times and the qibla, and how his manuscript survived centuries in the Haidara family library. The episode also…
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