Timbuktu

Timbuktu is an ancient city in Mali, located about 20 kilometres north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region. Today, it has a population of around one million people.

The city began as a small, seasonal settlement and became permanent in the early 12th century. It grew because of its important location on trade routes. Timbuktu became very rich from trading salt, gold, and ivory. Many scholars and traders visited the city, making it a center for learning and culture.

During its golden age, Timbuktu was part of the Mali Empire and later the Songhai Empire. After a Moroccan army defeated the Songhai in 1591, the city became their capital. The city was known for its important book trade and the Sankoré Madrasah, an Islamic university. Writers like Shabeni and Leo Africanus wrote about Timbuktu, making it seem mysterious to people in Europe.

In more recent times, Timbuktu has faced difficult challenges. Extremist groups have damaged important cultural sites. People around the world are working together to help protect Timbuktu's history and heritage. Sadly, the city's population has become smaller because of these problems.

Toponymy

The name "Timbuktu" has been spelled in many different ways over time. Early maps and letters from travelers used many forms, such as "Tenbuch," "Thambet," and "Timbúktu." In French, it is often called "Tombouctou," while in English, "Timbuctoo" is seen as the correct spelling by scholars.

There are several ideas about where the name "Timbuktu" comes from. Some believe it comes from the Songhay words meaning "wall of Butu." Others think it may mean "place covered by small dunes" in Berber language. Another idea is that it was named after a slave woman called Tinbuktu. Finally, some suggest it means "hidden" from an ancient Zenaga language root. Because of these many ideas, the true origin of the name is still not fully known.

Prehistory

Like other important cities in West Africa such as Djenné, Gao, and Dia, old settlements from the Iron Age have been found near Timbuktu, before the city was officially founded. Thick sand has made it hard to dig up the town itself, but some nearby areas are showing pieces of old pots on the ground. In 1984, a study by Susan and Roderick McIntosh found several Iron Age places along the el-Ahmar, an old wadi system close to the town.

Archaeologists from Yale University and the Mission Culturelle de Tombouctou dug up a site nine kilometers southeast of Timbuktu between 2008 and 2010. They found that people lived there as far back as the 5th century BC, and the place grew big until it fell apart in the late 10th or early 11th century AD. The Maghsharan Tuareg people are said to have founded Timbuktu.

History

Main article: History of Timbuktu

Timbuktu is an ancient city in Mali that was once a famous place for trading and learning. During the 13th and 14th centuries, it was a very important city in the Mali Empire. A leader named Mansa Mūsā brought many smart people from around the world to live there, making it a great place for studying many subjects like history, science, and medicine. Because of its special location near gold and salt, Timbuktu became very wealthy and a meeting place for different cultures.

Even though the Mali Empire began to weaken, Timbuktu kept growing until new rulers came in the late 1500s. After that, the city lost some of its importance. Today, Timbuktu is still part of Mali, but it is much smaller and faces many challenges.

Geography

Timbuktu is found on the southern edge of the Sahara, just 15 km (9 and a half miles) north of the River Niger. The town is surrounded by sand dunes, and its streets are covered in sand. There is a small port called Kabara about 8 km (5 miles) to the south, linked to the river by a canal that was cleared out in 2007.

The Niger River floods each year because of heavy rains far upstream in places like Guinea and northern Ivory Coast. The flood reaches Timbuktu later, usually peaking at the end of December. In the past, the flood would reach even closer to the town. The area around Timbuktu has a very hot and dry climate, with most rain falling between June and September. Temperatures can get very high, often above 40 °C (104 °F) in the hotter months. Cooler months are still warm, with temperatures staying above 30 °C (86 °F). During the dry season, strong winds called the Harmattan blow dust from the Sahara, sometimes making it hard to see.

Economy

Salt trade

Timbuktu became wealthy because it was an important stop on a trade route across the Sahara Desert. Today, the main goods moved across the desert are slabs of rock salt from the Taoudenni mines, far to the north. Until the mid-1900s, large groups of camels carried the salt. These groups, called caravans, left Timbuktu in November and March, taking three weeks each way. The camels carried food for miners and returned with salt blocks. Now, trucks usually move the salt, and boats carry it to other towns in Mali.

Agriculture

Timbuktu does not get enough rain for regular farming, so crops are grown using water from the Niger River. The main crop is rice. A special kind of rice grows on land that floods each year. Farmers plant seeds when rains begin, and the plants grow tall as the water rises. The rice is harvested by boat in December. Most rice is now grown in three big areas south of Timbuktu, where water is pumped from the river. Families work together to grow the rice, and they use most of what they grow for their own meals.

Tourism

Most visitors come to Timbuktu between November and February when it is cooler. In the 1980s, there were only a few small hotels for tourists. Over time, more hotels opened. Tourists helped the town by paying taxes, buying local crafts, and hiring guides.

Attacks

Starting in 2008, groups began kidnapping tourists in the area. This led many countries to warn their citizens about traveling far from the city of Bamako, and the number of tourists visiting Timbuktu fell sharply. In 2012, the city was taken over by rebels. Later, French and Malian forces reclaimed Timbuktu, but some important books were lost in the fighting. In 2025, militants attacked a military base near the city.

Early accounts in the West

Stories about Timbuktu's great wealth inspired European explorers to travel along Africa's west coast. Two famous descriptions of the city were written by Leo Africanus and Shabeni.

Leo Africanus, born in Granada in 1485, traveled widely across North Africa and visited Timbuktu. After being captured and freed, he wrote a detailed book about Africa in Italian. His book described Timbuktu as a rich city with plenty of gold, grain, and cattle. He noted that salt was rare and valuable there.

Shabeni, a young boy from Tetuan in Morocco, visited Timbuktu centuries later. He stayed for many years and later shared his experiences in England. He described Timbuktu as a beautiful place with many people living there.

Arts and culture

Timbuktu is rich in history and culture, with many important buildings and events. It has three famous mosques: Djinguereber, Sankoré, and Sidi Yahya. The Djinguereber Mosque was built in 1327 and helped make Timbuktu a center for learning. The Sankoré Madrasah, also known as the Sankoré Mosque, was built later and had libraries with many important books. The Sidi Yahya Mosque, built in 1400, is one of the oldest in Timbuktu.

One of the most famous events is the Festival au Désert, held each January until 2010 to celebrate peace. Another important event is Mawloud, held every January to honor a important leader's birthday, with special readings of old books, feasts, songs, and dances. Since 2015, Timbuktu has also hosted the Living Together festival in the winter.

In 1988, parts of Timbuktu were named a World Heritage Site because of their important history and beautiful old buildings. Sadly, in 2012, some groups damaged some of these important places, but efforts are being made to protect and restore them.

Education

Timbuktu was an important center for learning about Islam from the 1300s to the 1600s, especially under the rule of the Mali Empire and Askia Mohammad I. Today, the Malian government and groups that help communities are working to protect and study old books and writings from that time, called Timbuktu's manuscripts.

During its busy years in the 1300s and 1400s, Timbuktu attracted many teachers and students from places like Walata in today’s Mauritania. Books were very important to the people there, showing wealth, power, and good luck. Traders brought books from many places, and leaders like Emperor Askia Mohammed supported the writing of many important books.

Teachers shared knowledge in informal schools called madrasahs, similar to early schools in Europe. The city had three big schools: Djinguereber, Sidi Yahya, and Sankore, which taught thousands of students. These schools focused mainly on religious teachings.

Many important books were collected in Timbuktu over the years. Some were written there, and others came from far away through trade. Even when difficult times came, like wars and changes in rule, many of these books were hidden away and saved. Today, these old writings are kept in libraries in Timbuktu and other places, though some are still kept safely by families in the city. People have worked hard to protect these valuable books from damage and loss.

Language

In Timbuktu, most people speak Koyra Chiini, a Songhay language. Before the 1990s, Hassaniya Arabic and Tamashek were also common, but their use dropped after many Tuaregs left the area.

Arabic came to Timbuktu with Islam in the 11th century and has been used mostly by scholars and for religious purposes, much like Latin in Western Christianity. While Bambara is the most spoken language in Mali, it is mainly used in the southern part of the country. As Timbuktu connects better with southern cities, more people in Timbuktu have started using Bambara.

Infrastructure

Timbuktu has no railroads, so people travel by road, boat, or airplane. From August to December, when the Niger River is high, passenger ferries run between Koulikoro and Gao about once a week. Large motorized boats, called pinasses, also travel up and down the river when the water is high.

Both ferries and pinasses stop at Korioumé, Timbuktu's port. A paved road, 18 kilometers long, connects the port to the city center through Kabara. In 2007, a project helped clear a silted canal, making it easier for boats to reach the port during flood times.

Timbuktu's roads to nearby towns are mostly dirt, but a new paved road is being built from Niono to Timbuktu. This road will help connect Timbuktu better to the rest of Mali.

Timbuktu has an airport with a long, paved runway. Until 2014, flights went to and from Bamako, Gao, and Mopti. As of July 2023, Sky Mali offers flights to and from Bamako using Boeing 737 airplanes.

Notable people

Timbuktu has been home to many famous people throughout history.

• Ali Farka Toure (1939–2006) was a musician who helped make desert blues music popular around the world.
• Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti (1556–1627) was a writer and scholar from the Sanhaja Berber people.
• Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori (1762–1829) was a prince who was captured and taken to the United States.
• Mahamane Alassane Haidara (1910–1981) was a politician who served in the French Senate in 1948.
• Souheil Ben-Barka (born 1942) is a film director from Morocco.
• Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé (1948–2021) was Mali's first female prime minister.
• Alphadi (born 1957) is a famous fashion designer from Niger, known as the "Magician of the Desert".
• Halima Cissé (born 1996) is the mother of the only known nonuplets who survived birth.

In popular culture

Timbuktu has long been seen as a mysterious and hidden place, especially in Europe and North America. Many people think of it as a faraway, almost imaginary location. This idea comes from old stories and tales, like those written by Leo Africanus, which described the city as full of wonder and riches.

The city has appeared in many books, movies, and songs. For example, it is a key setting in Dorothy Dunnett's novels and shows up in Disney cartoons like The Aristocats. It was even the name of a musical that opened on Broadway in 1978. Because of its fame and mystery, Timbuktu is often used to describe any place that feels very far away.

Twin towns – sister cities

Timbuktu has friendly connections with several cities around the world. These include:

• Chemnitz in Germany
• Hay-on-Wye in Wales, part of the United Kingdom
• Kairouan in Tunisia
• Marrakesh in Morocco
• Saintes in France
• Tempe in the United States