Sankore Madrasah (mosque) built

988 CE.

Shown on the map at 16.776°, -3.006°.

Sankoré Madrasa (also called the Sankoré Mosque, Sankoré Masjid, Sankoré Madrasah or University of Sankoré) is one of three medieval mosques and centres of learning located in Timbuktu, Mali. (The others being Djinguereber and Sidi Yahya) Founded in the 14th or early 15th century, the Sankoré mosque went through multiple periods of patronage and renovation under both the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire until its decline following the Battle of Tondibi in 1591. The mosque developed into an Arabian madrasa. The term "University of Sankoré" has sometimes been applied to the Sankoré Madrasa, though there is no evidence of a centralized teaching institution such as the term university implies. Instead the mosque served as the focal point for individual scholars with their own private students, and as a location in which some lectures and classes were held.

Text from the Wikipedia article Sankoré Madrasah, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Everything else in 988 CE

HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to 2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what you find.

HistoryLayer
1914CE
World Wars
123,000 BCE2026 CE
54 stops — one per surviving map on file, evenly spaced drag the pin · ←→ steps one stop the same 54 stops by true elapsed time ↑
Map & filters
Show on the map
Filter
Colour by
Polity Empire