The city of Timbuktu, home to prestigious Koranic Sankore University, was a spiritual and intellectual center of Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, witnesses of the golden ages of this city that have played a great role in the propagation of Islam throughout Africa, still stands against all challenges. In 2012 the historical buildings and priceless manuscripts that constitutes the collective memory of Timbuktu were severly damaged after the targeted destructions.