Tumbuktu in the late Medieval era was famous for its university, being regarded as a center of learning and particularly of Islamic scholarship. How did the University of Timbuktu compare to other universities of the era?

by Mr_Quinn

By "the era" I mean the late Medieval and early Modern eras, and I'm including universities in both the Islamic world and the Christian world. What variations would you find between universities in, say... Timbuktu vs. Baghdad vs. Paris? How would the lives of scholars vary in each place? What about the administrative and legal organizations of the universities of themselves?

Finances1212

I know this isn’t going to directly answer your question but I wanted to provide some great sources that I often use in my research.

Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa by Ousmane Oumar Kane

The Walking Qur’an: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa by Rudolph Ware

Tarikh al Fattash: The Timbuktu Chronicles 1493-1599 by Mahmoud Kati (Translated Christopher Wise) - this is actually a primary source that will speak about Timbuktu in certain parts that was authored by an Islamic scholar in the Songhai empire.

It should also be noted that Timbuktu was also not the only prestigious “university” in West Africa. It was but one of the most famous. The curriculum would have been pretty strong centered around theology, the Maliki mad’hab, and philosophy. West and Northwest Africa were very vibrant intellectual communities and the Islamic scholars came to hold significant political sway especially as the people of the region increasingly converted to Islam.

My area of speciality is actually the Sokoto Caliphate. It’s founding was only made possible by a long line of transmission of knowledge from prior Saharan and Arab scholars. Much of that transmission was done through centers of learning similar to, and including Timbuktu.

Unfortunately, I’m not qualified to speak on the types of subjects or education in Europe at the time. I hope someone will come along and assist with that portion of your question.

EDIT I forgot to mention this one - which is definitely big. Hunwick was one of the foremost scholars and heavy weights.

The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu: Historic City of Islamic Africa by John O. Hunwick and Alida Boye