Timbuktu in Terror: Architecture and Iconoclasm in Contemporary Africa

Ansar Dine's iconoclastic campaign in Timbuktu, driven by extremist self-fashioning, transcends religious orthodoxy. The study reveals that the destruction of architectural sites was not merely an exercise in enforcing conservative Islamic governance but a ritualistic act aimed at crafting a globally extremist identity. This insight emerges from analyzing the nature and performative quality of the destructive actions against Timbuktu's historical and heritage significance, which has long been a crossroads of global currents.

Apotsos, M. M. (2017). Timbuktu in Terror: Architecture and Iconoclasm in Contemporary Africa. International Journal of Islamic Architecture, 6(1), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijia.6.1.97_1