Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History / The Timbuktu Scholar Who Studied the Stars
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, we've talked about Timbuktu's scholars, its libraries, its legal system. But one thing we haven't touched on is how they looked at the night sky. Luna: Wait — you mean they had astronomers? Lucas: Absolutely. And not just casual stargazing. The scholars of Timbuktu were part of a global tradition of Islamic astronomy. They were calculating planetary orbits, predicting eclipses, and debating the nature of the cosmos. One of the most fascinating figures is a man named Muhammad al-Wangari. He wrote a famous work called ‘Mir’at al-‘Alam’ — the Mirror of the Universe — which is essentially a compendium of everything known about the heavens in the 17th century. Luna: Mirror of the Universe — that's quite a title. Lucas: It really is. And al-Wangari wasn't just copying older sources. He synthesized material from earlier Islamic astronomers like al-Zarqali and al-Battani, but he also incorporated observations made locally. The manuscripts that survive show detailed tables for the positions of the sun and moon, and even calculations for the timing of eclipses. Luna: So they had observatories? Instruments? Lucas: Not observatories in the European sense — no giant buildings with domes. But they had astrolabes, and they used them. The astrolabe is a kind of analog computer that can measure the altitude of stars, tell time, and even determine the direction of Mecca. There are references in the Tarikh al-Sudan to scholars who were experts in using them. Luna: Did they have any unique theories or discoveries? Lucas: That's the tricky part. A lot of the work was lost or scattered. But we know there was a debate among Timbuktu scholars about astrology versus astronomy. Some, like Ahmad al-Takruri, argued that the stars had no power over human destiny — only God did. Others were more open to astrological predictions. The manuscripts show that they were actively engaged in this debate, which reflects a really sophisticated intellectual culture. Luna: It's amazing that this existed in the same place and time as the university system in Europe. Lucas: Exactly. While European scholars were rediscovering Ptolemy, Timbuktu was already building on centuries of Islamic science. And it wasn't just an elite pursuit — the local population used astronomy for practical things like farming calendars and navigation. The rhythms of the Niger River and the seasonal rains were tied to celestial cycles. Lucas: And you know, this is one of those topics where the manuscripts really shine. When the manuscripts were smuggled out of Timbuktu during the 2012 occupation, among them were dozens of astronomical treatises. Some are still being digitized and studied. We're only beginning to understand what they knew. Luna: That's incredible. It makes you wonder what else might be hidden in those collections. Lucas: Absolutely. And if today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, we love bringing you these stories, and it's listeners like you who make it possible. So thank you. Lucas: Alright, back to the stars. One specific instrument they used was the celestial globe. We have descriptions of brass globes engraved with the constellations, used for teaching. The scholar al-Wangari mentions using such a globe to explain the movement of the planets. Luna: A brass globe in the middle of the Sahara — that's quite an image. Lucas: It really is. And it shows how connected Timbuktu was. These globes were likely imported from North Africa or even Spain, and the knowledge traveled with them. The manuscripts also contain star charts that include both Arabic star names and local Tuareg names for stars — a blend of traditions. Luna: I love that — the blend of traditions. So they weren't just copying, they were adapting. Lucas: Exactly. And there's evidence they made their own observations. For example, in one manuscript, a scholar notes that the position of a certain star had shifted slightly from the tables in older books. He suggests that maybe the tables were wrong, or maybe the star had moved. That's a remarkably modern scientific attitude — questioning authority based on observation. Luna: That's exactly how science works. So what happened to this tradition? Lucas: It declined gradually after the Moroccan invasion in 1591, when the intellectual elite was scattered. But the manuscripts remained, tucked away in private libraries. Some were even used by later scholars in the 19th century. So the tradition never fully died — it just went underground. Luna: And now it's coming back to light, thanks to digitization. Lucas: Right. Projects like the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library are working to preserve and digitize these texts. And as they do, we're learning more about the breadth of Timbuktu scholarship. Astronomy was just one field, but it shows how West Africa was part of a global conversation about the universe. Luna: Ahmad al-Takruri — was he one of the main figures? Lucas: He was. Al-Takruri lived in the 18th century, and he wrote a commentary on a popular astronomical text. He was based in Timbuktu but also traveled widely. His work shows deep familiarity with both the mathematical tradition and the religious debates. He argued that studying the stars was permissible in Islam as long as you didn't claim they caused events on Earth. Luna: So he drew a line between astronomy and astrology. Lucas: Exactly. And that line was widely accepted in Timbuktu. The Tarikh al-Sudan mentions several scholars who were expert astronomers and who used their knowledge to set the calendar for Ramadan and other religious duties. That was the practical side. Lucas: One of the most impressive things is that they could predict lunar eclipses with surprising accuracy. There's a letter from a scholar in Timbuktu to a colleague in Cairo discussing an upcoming eclipse and asking for confirmation of his calculations. That's peer review across the Sahara. Luna: Wow — peer review in the 17th century. Lucas: Exactly. So the next time you think of Timbuktu, don't just think of dusty manuscripts — think of scholars looking up at the stars, mapping the heavens, and arguing about whether a star had moved. Luna: That's a beautiful way to put it. Thanks for this episode.