Abu Ishaq al-Sahili | |
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Born | c. 1290 |
Died | 15 October 1346 |
Abu Ishaq al-Sahili (Arabic: أبو إسحاق الساحلي, romanized: Abū Isḥāq al-Sāḥilī; c. 1290 – 15 October 1346), also known as al-Tuwayjin (Arabic: ـالطُّوَيجِن, romanized: al-Ṭuwayjin), was an Andalusi poet and fiqh scholar who became a favored member of the court of Mansa Musa, Emperor of Mali. He is the most renowned of the scholars from the wider Muslim world who emigrated to Mali in the aftermath of Mansa Musa's pilgrimage.
Many European texts refer to al-Sahili as an architect and attribute major innovations in West African architecture to him. However, his contributions to West African architecture were minimal. His one known architectural project was the construction of an audience chamber for Mansa Musa, to which his contributions may have been more organizational and artistic than architectural.