Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History
The Tuareg Revolt That Toppled Timbuktu's Golden Age
In the late 16th century, Timbuktu was the intellectual capital of the Songhai Empire, home to Sankore University and thousands of manuscripts. But in 1591, the Moroccan invasion shattered that world. Within decades, the Tuareg—nomadic Berbers of the Sahara—rose up and seized control of the city. This episode follows the Tuareg revolt of the 1620s, led by the legendary chieftain Amar al-Tehasi. We explore how the Tuareg exploited Songhai weakness, the brutal sack of Timbuktu, and the forgotten massacre of 1635 that ended the city's independence. Drawing on the Tarikh al-Sudan of…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.