Page 49 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

Empir E s of m E di E v al w E st africa

CONNECTIONS

Timbuktu

few places in the world have captured peo-
ple’s imaginations the way timbuktu has.
from the time people outside of africa first
heard of it, timbuktu has seemed more
like a mystical, timeless place than a city
with a real history. No European ever saw it
and returned to tell about it until the french
explorer réné caillié (1799–1838) finally did
in 1828.
the popular saying, “from here to tim-
buktu,” seems to place it at the very ends
of the earth. But in fact, timbuktu is a city in Early every morning in the streets of
the modern republic of mali. Timbuktu, Songhay women bake
in the days of the mali and songhay delicious loaves of bread in clay ovens.
Empires, timbuktu was an important market
city for the trans-saharan trade and a center and damaged the water supply and some
of islamic scholarship. in the 17th century, buildings. as part of the effort to save this
when European merchant ships increas- historical city, in 1990 timbuktu was placed
ingly traded along the west african coast, on the world Heritage list of Endangered
the trans-saharan trade routes began to lose places, and a conservation program was
their importance and timbuktu gradually sank established by UNEsco.
into economic decay. Nowadays, small camel more recently, timbuktu has received
caravans from salt mines 400 miles to the an economic boost by becoming a tourist
north still arrive in winter, but the great days destination. Every winter during the christ-
of trans-saharan trade have been gone for mas and New Year holiday season, when
centuries. daytime temperatures are comfortable
the sahara desert, which once brought and nights are chilly, tourists from all over
profitable commerce to timbuktu, has now the world come by plane and riverboat for
become a threat to the city’s survival. drift- overnight visits. they send out postcards
ing sand blown by the dry seasonal wind boasting to their friends and relatives that
called the harmattan threatens to smother they have been to timbuktu. what is more
some neighborhoods. the expansion of the important, they provide employment for the
desert has already destroyed vegetation local people.

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