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Located at the westernmost edge of the ancient city, Djinguereber Mosque was built by the Sultan of Mali, Elhaj Kankou Moussa, shortly after his return from a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325. The Djinguereber district, named after the mosque, was formerly occupied by the Tuat people, from a region in the western part of the Algerian Sahara, whose settlement is believed to date back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
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Heinrich Barth, a German explorer who reached Timbuktu in 1853, mentioned an inscription that was still visible in his day but almost illegible; above the main door, it is said to have showed the date 1327 and the name Mansa Moussa.
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The mosque was built by the Andalusian architect Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, also known as al-Tuwayjin, who was paid 40,000 mithqals of gold by the emperor. The sanctuary was restored by Elhadj Al-Aqib, Qadi of Timbuktu, who added the southern section.
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With the exception of a small limestone area on the northern façade, the mosque is built entirely of mudbrick; it has three internal courtyards, two minarets and 25 rows of pillars.
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It is a mosque of exceptional architectural value that has been included by UNESCO on its World Heritage in Danger list since 1990.
Dr. Ali Ould Sidi, Technical Advisor at the Malian Ministry of Culture