The Islamist extremist accused of destroying the historic site in Timbuktu pleaded guilty as his trial at the International Criminal Court began on Monday.
The trial is the first such ICC war crimes trial over the destruction of a site of historic or cultural signifcance.
Ahmad Al Faqi al-Mahdi, who was a member of a group close to Al Qaeda, told the trial that he entered a guilty plea "with deep regret and great pain".
The ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said that Mr Mahdi was “who identified the sites to be destroyed and who provided the means”.
He faces upto 30 years in imprisonment, however in view of his guilty plea, prosecutors have agreed to seek a sentence of 9 to 11 years.
