The Fulani Jihad That Shook Timbuktu

Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History · Jul 6, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In the early 19th century, Timbuktu faced a new kind of threat—not from Moroccan invaders or Saadian sultans, but from a Fulani reformer named Seku Amadu, who launched a jihad that sought to purify Islam in the region. This episode explores the 1826 siege of Timbuktu, the fall of the city to the Massina Empire, and the resistance led by the Kunta scholar Sidi al-Mukhtar al-Kunti. We delve into Seku Amadu's theological motivations, the role of the Qadiriyya order, and how Timbuktu's manuscript libraries survived the conquest. Join Lucas and Luna as they uncover a forgotten chapter of…