Al-mahdi has expressed regret for his actions, which began when jihadists overran the city of Timbuktu in 2012 and appointed him the leader of their cultural police.
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Mahdi is the first suspect to face an ICC charge of deliberately attacking religious or historical monuments.
Founded between the fifth and the 12th centuries by Tuareg tribes, Timbuktu’s very name evokes centuries of history and has been dubbed “the city of 333 saints” for the number of Muslim sages buried there.
Numerous mausoleums date back to Timbuktu’s days of glory in the Middle Ages, when it was one of the greatest centres of learning and trade in the Islamic world.
Prosecutors say Al Mahdi was a member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group with links to al Qaeda that held power in northern Mali in 2012.
The trial is the first at the ICC to cite destroying cultural artefacts as a war crime, and Mahdi is the first ICC defendant accused of war crimes to enter a guilty plea.
The prosecution is now due to call three witnesses as it lays out its case for sentencing before the defence team also addresses the judge during the five days that had been set aside for al Mahdi’s trial. A verdict and judgement will follow later.
Handed over to the ICC by Niger in late 2015, Mahdi plans to plead guilty, as he is “a Muslim who believes in justice”, defence lawyer Mohamed Aouini told a June hearing.
Mahdi also distanced himself from the jihadists describing their acts as “evil”. He is alleged to have been the head of the section that enforced strict Islamic law in Timbuktu.
Frustrated when local people refused to stop worshiping at the ancient shrines, with such rites as praying for rain, or a good marriage, Mahdi ordered the attacks with pickaxes, chisels and pick-up trucks.
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“However, while this case breaks new ground for the ICC, we must not lose sight of the need to ensure accountability for other crimes under worldwide law, including murder, rape and torture of civilians that have been committed in Mali since 2012”.
