View and Plan of the Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu

What it is

This engraved print from 1830 shows a view of the walled Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, with its tall minaret and figures including a horseman and camel rider, along with a ground plan of the mosque's columns below. It was published in Paris as part of René Caillié's travel journal.

Why it matters

The Djinguereber Mosque dates to the time of Mansa Musa's rule over the Mali Empire. This print, made from the notes of one of the first Europeans to describe Timbuktu, shaped how Europeans imagined the city's historic buildings long after Musa's era.

Look closer

• What can a ground plan tell you about a building that a picture of its outside cannot?
• Why do you think the artist included small figures like a horseman and camel rider in the view?
• How reliable might a print like this be if the artist never visited Timbuktu themselves?