How did Timbuktu become a center of learning? 1. Christian monks moved to Timbuktu and built monasteries that taught the local children to read and write.
2. African rulers realized that their kingdoms would be more prosperous if everyone learned to read and write their own language.
3. Muslim traders shared their faith, which prompted Africans to learn to read and write Arabic in order to study the Koran.
4. Arab traders made some Africans their slaves, then taught them read and write so that they could keep records for their masters.