By about 300 A.D., camel caravan routes had been established throughout West Africa, linking West African cities with Europe and the Middle East. Timbuktu, Gao and Djenné – all major cities along the West African routes – became important cultural, as well as trading, centres. In major cities, schools and universities were endowed and vast libraries were built. This important legacy had been in decline for many years. Beginning in 2004, under a public-private partnership, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) began working to revitalise the centres of three cities in Mali. AKTC started with the restoration of the Great Mosques of Djenné and Mopti and the Djingereyber Mosque in Timbuktu, as well as the public spaces around them.
PDF link: http://www.akdn.org/publications/2010_mali_aktc.pdf
Ismailimail 