Mali. Finding Timbuktu: West African City of Gold
The name “Timbuktu” (in French, Tombouctou) remains synonymous with somewhere distant and/or remote. Europeans first learned about a mysterious city of gold from Leo Africanus’ 1550 book, A Geographical Historie of Africa. In 1824, the French Geographical Society offered a cash prize to the first person to reach the city and publish their story. Today, we know Timbuktu to be located in central Mali and along the southern edge of the vast Sahara Desert. The city is still a challenging place to reach, in part because of security concerns.
Although archaeological evidence suggests a human presence as far back as 5000 BC, Timbuktu wasn’t occupied until 1100 AD when it became a seasonal camp used by Tuareg nomads. Located at a natural meeting point between camel caravans coming from the Sahara and Niger River cargo boats, the city became wealthy through trading involving gold, salt, ivory, and slaves. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Timbuktu became a center for Islamic scholarship and learning with Africa’s first university established around the city’s three principal mosques: Djianguereber, Sidi Yahya, and Sankoré.
Timbuktu’s decline began after a 16th century Moroccan invasion. At about the same time, ships operating in the Atlantic Ocean were replacing camel caravans as the principal mode for transporting goods. French control of Timbuktu lasted from 1893 until Mali’s independence in 1960. During the late 20th century, foreign tourism became an important source of revenue. However, tourism declined following the city’s capture by Tuareg rebels in 2012. Although the city was retaken by Malian and French troops in 2013, the tourism industry has yet to fully recover.
We took a direct flight from Bamako, Mali’s capital, to Timbuktu’s airport (flights into Timbuktu were discontinued in 2014 because of civil unrest). On arriving we hired a cab to take us into the city. With dusty streets separating adobe buildings, the city’s population is considerably smaller today (54,000) than in the 15th century (250,000). A short walk took us to a library called Bibliotheque Al Iman Essayout. Inside were hundreds of books and manuscripts, many arranged in neat rows along wide shelves. A few others were displayed under plexiglass covers including an astronomy text written in Arabic that featured hand drawn maps of planets and constellations. It is estimated that Timbuktu’s libraries once held more than 750,000 books and documents. As Tuareg invaders destroyed mausoleums and other structures in 2012, locals hid thousands of manuscripts in basements or them buried in secret locations.
We walked pass Sankoré, a Sudanese style mosque built in 988 that features mud-brick masonry reinforced with adobe buttresses. On the day of our visit the outside temperature was a sizzling 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit). After stopping for an icy-cold Cocoa Cola, we walked past a metal plaque commemorating British Army Major Alexander Gordon Laing who died in 1826, shortly after he reached the city. Another plaque recognizes French Explorer René Caillié who was Laing’s competitor. Although Laing arrived first, Caillié published an account of his visit, earning him the Geographical Society’s 9,000-franc prize.
Before dinner we were given an opportunity to ride dromedary (one hump) camels. With long legs and wide feet, the dromedary is well-suited to walking in sand. Dromedaries are capable of consuming up to 46 liters of water at a time, allowing them to survive for up to a week without drinking. A banket covering a large U-shaped piece of wood served as a saddle that was strapped to the camel’s back. I had ridden camels before with my legs hanging down. For this ride I was instructed to cross my legs over the camel’s neck. Although this seemed uncomfortable for both camel and rider, I complied with the handler’s instructions. One of our last stops was Djenné Market where street vendors sold rice, beans, and other food staples. Because of the area’s extremely aridity, locally grown crops must be irrigated with water from the nearby Niger River.
