This event spurred the great dispersal of the Timbuktu libraries. The re­maining collections were scattered among the families who owned them. Some were sealed inside the mud-brick walls of homes ...

After returning from Mecca, Mansa Musa revitalised cities in his kingdom, constructing mosques and large public buildings in Gao and Timbuktu. He passed away in 1337, leaving his legacy to his two ...