TIMBUKTU, MALI - NOVEMBER 14 : Djingareiber mosque, built in 1325 by the Andalucian architec and poet Es Saheli, on November 14, 2007 in Timbuktu, Mali . In the Middle Ages Timbuktu was the centre of the cultural world of black Africa, thanks to the merchants who came to the oasis and not just transporting goods but also manuscripts and books from across the Mediterranean and the Middle East that were copied and distributed.