Timbuktu's downfall came when one of its conquerors ... News of the manuscript revival prompted the Aga Khan, an important Shiite Muslim leader, to restore one of the city's historic mosques ...

Russia's goal, according to Constantin Gouvy of the Clingendael Institute, is to replace Western powers such as France as the ...

Another Islamist militant leader who destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu was sentenced to nine years in jail in 2016. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi admitted to leading fighters who destroyed historic ...

There were more than 400 cities in the Niger Delta. Timbuktu became the heart of his empire, the centre of trade and culture. News of wealth and learning spread far and wide. Traders and scholars ...

Sonni leaders seized control of the city of Gao. In the 1400s, the empire expanded dramatically under the leadership of Sonni Ali. In his seizing of Timbuktu, Muslim scholars reported that he was ...

Also in the ICC's sights over alleged atrocities in Timbuktu is Iyad Ag Ghaly, one of the top jihadist leaders in the Sahel. Ag Ghaly is considered to be the leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Group ...