Timbuktu
Photograph by Brent Stirton, Getty Images/National Geographic
Since the 12th century, when Tuareg tribes founded Timbuktu as a seasonal camp on the southern edge of the Sahara, the city has seen waves of conquerors come and go. In April, Tuareg rebels and Islamist factions affiliated with al Qaeda seized control of northern Mali, including Timbuktu.
(Read more about Timbuktu's change of power.)
Published December 7, 2012
Sankore Mosque
Photograph by Brent Stirton, Getty Images/National Geographic
Men greet each other outside the 14th-century Sankore Mosque. At the height of its wealth during the Middle Ages, Timbuktu leaders built several elaborate mosques, attracting Islamic scholars throughout the region and establishing the city as an important religious and academic center.
Published December 7, 2012
Mourning a Death
Photograph by Brent Stirton, Getty Images/National Geographic
In a moment of unity prior to the current conflict, members of Timbuktu's three major ethnic groups—the Tuareg, Songhai, and Berbiche—gathered to mourn the death of a prominent city official’s wife. Each group has ruled the city during its long history, and relations among them are often fractious.
Published December 7, 2012
Forbidden Fashion
Photograph by Brent Stirton, Getty Images/National Geographic
Before the Islamist takeover, students often dressed in Western fashions to attend Timbuktu's public high school. But the Islamists have implemented a strict Taliban-style interpretation of Islamic law, requiring all women to wear burkas and forbidding girls from attending school.
Published December 7, 2012
Ansar Dine Fighters
Photograph by AP
Fighters from Ansar Dine, one of the Islamist factions controlling Timbuktu, stand watch over the city’s downtown. After allying with Tuareg rebels to conquer Mali’s key northern cities, the Islamists ousted Tuareg fighters who refused to embrace their Islamist agenda.
Published December 7, 2012
Bearing Witness
Photograph from AP
A crowd gathers in Timbuktu to witness Ansar Dine amputate the hand of a young man found guilty of stealing rice. Human rights groups have reported several amputations meted out by Islamists occupying northern Mali towns and villages.
Published December 7, 2012
Ancient Shrine Destroyed
Photograph from AFP/Getty Images
Ansar Dine fighters tear down an ancient shrine to one of Timbuktu’s venerated saints. So far the group has destroyed several of the city’s tombs and other historic landmarks, calling them idolatrous. UNESCO has declared the city an endangered World Heritage site.
Published December 7, 2012
Child Soldiers
Photograph from AFP/Getty Images
Timbuktu residents have reported that Ansar Dine has recruited boys as young as 12 for military training. The International Criminal Court has warned that such acts constitute war crimes.
Published December 7, 2012
Hostage Handover
Photograph from AP
Islamist fighters man an antiaircraft gun in northern Mali during the handover of a Swiss hostage for transport to Burkina Faso by helicopter. For the last several years, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has reportedly reaped tens of millions of dollars by kidnapping foreigners and holding them for ransom. Security analysts say the group has used the money to acquire heavy weapons from looted Libyan stockpiles.
(Read more about how Timbuktu has changed.)
Published December 7, 2012
Photograph by Brent Stirton, National Geographic
Published December 7, 2012
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