Smweli

Culture and Society The culture of Timbuktu was structured due to specific roles each member was given. Women and girls were responsible for the home and cooking. They could not have the privilege of education, for it was strictly for men. Girls would marry at 13 and were raised in preparation of being a wife and mother. Timbuktu became a common meeting place for traders and travelers due to the location of the out of range floods of the Niger River. Islam spread through Africa by travelers and traders. Timbuktu became exposed to Islam and that influenced the people. Mansa Musa visited the city and built a mosque and university in his own honor, which remained a reminder for the religion he brought to the society in 1324. A major part of Timbuktu's culture revolved around education and sophistication. This began when African scholars became interested in the prosperity of the city and migrated there. By the beginning of the 12th century, it was a center for Islamic Learning that was recognized throughout the region. It had built 3 universities and many quaranic schools, which attracted more scholars. During the fourteenth century, Timbuktu was a rich cultural center. The beginning of this can be traced back to 1324, when the king of Mali, Mansa Musa, made his pilgrimage to Mecca via Cairo. In Cairo, merchants and traders were impressed by the amount of gold carried by the emperor. In 1354 Ibn Batuta wrote of his visit to Timbuktu and told of the wealth and gold from the region. | The first structures in Timbuktu were designed by African architects from Djenne. These were usually simple buildings made of mud bricks. However, once Islam began to spread into the city, buildings began to have a more Islamic influence to their architecture.This is shown in buildings such as the Great Mosque, where horn like structures are protruding from the buildings as decoration. Another change in architecture was made when Timbuktu was captured by Mansa Musa.