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| Sidi Yahya Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali |
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The West African city of Timbuktu used to be one of Africa's richest and most important, a nexus of trade across the Sahara and a center of religious and scientific learning as far back as the 1400s. The relics of that history still stand in the form of such world heritage sites as the University of Sankore. More recently, this city in the sprawling West African country of Mali has been a tourism draw.
Though less architecturally significant than the older Djingareyber mosque, Sankore developed in between 1327-1440 as one of the medieval world's great centres of learning. Thousands of students travelled here to learn history, math, and astronomy, as well as Islam, from its respected scholars.
 It is still in use as a mosque.
 The interior of the Djingarey Ber mosque, which was designed to hold 2000 worshipers at a time. The UN designated it a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
 Locals cart goods past the Sankore mosque, which is often known as Sankore University for its remarkable history as a place for education as well as religion.
 A Tuareg man stands in front of the Djingarey Ber mosque. Many Tuaregs, who are traditionally nomadic and tend to live in Mali's north, where the capital city of Bamako sits some 600 miles.
 This Sankore from the opposite end of the mud-brick minaret.
 This is the main entrance of the Sidi Yahya mosque, which along with Sankore and Djingarey Ber make up what is sometimes called the University of Timbuktu, the trio of medieval-era Islamic and education centers. It was built in 1400 but left empty in expectation of a holy leader, who emerged in 1441 as a man named Sidi Yahya, after which the complex was later named.
 The ornately decorated front door of Sidi Yahya mosque reflects the increasing Moroccan, gothic influence on 15th century Timbuktu.
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