A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this was one amazing Islamic University. It was one of the first Universities to be established. Just thought to share this with you guys.
Some Excerpts and sources about this university which is also known as University of Timbuktu
http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/university.html
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Around the 12th century, the University of Timbuktu had an attendance of 25, 000 students in a city which had a population of 100, 000 people. The students came from all corners of the African continent in search of excellence in knowledge and trade. On graduation day, students were given Turbans. The turban symbolizes Divine light, wisdom, knowledge and excellent moral conduct. The turban represents the demarcation line between knowledge and ignorance"..
…Timbuktu was more than merely a great intellectual nucleus of the West African civilizations of Ghana, Mali and Songhai–it was one of the most splendid scientific centers of the time period corresponding to the European Medieval and Renaissance eras. Indeed, under the reign of Askia Muhammad I, also known as Askia the Great, it was celebrated as one of the world’s most significant seats of learning. …
…The collection of ancient manuscripts at the University of Sankore at Timbuktu leaves us in no doubt about the magnificence of the institution and permits us to reconstruct this side of her past in fairly intimate details…
The structure that would become known as Sankore University began as a simple mosque. The mosque was built on the order of the city’s chief judge Al-Qadi Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar. He had the Mosque’s courtyard built in the exact dimensions of the Ka’abah in the holy city of Mecca using a rope for precise measurements. The Sankore Masjid was completed in or by 989. There has been some debate as to whether the mosque was built in 989 AH (Islamic calendar) or 989 AD (Gregorian Calendar). It is historically impossible for 989 to refer to the Islamic calendar, because the date would translate roughly to 1581 AD (35 years after the end of the Mali Empire.