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Timbuktu ( / ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː / TIM-buk-TOO; French: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu; Tuareg: ⵜⵏⵀⵗⵜ, romanized: Tin Bukt) is an ancient city in Mali, situated 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 54,453 in the 2009 census.
Jul 1, 2024 · Timbuktu, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a center of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about 8 miles (13 km) north of the Niger River.
Jul 25, 2018 · Discover the Striking Earthen City of Timbuktu. Perched on the edge of the Sahara, this West African city was a center of religion and scholarship for centuries. By National Geographic Staff....
Feb 22, 2019 · Timbuktu is a city located near the Niger River in modern-day Mali in West Africa. The area around Timbuktu has been inhabited since the Neolithic period as evidenced by Iron Age tumuli, megaliths and remains of now abandoned villages.
Starting out as a seasonal settlement, Timbuktu was in the kingdom of Mali when it became a permanent settlement early in the 12th century. After a shift in trading routes, the town flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory and slaves from several towns and states such as Begho of Bonoman, Sijilmassa, and other Saharan cities. [1]
Oct 19, 2023 · Now a shadow of its former glory, Timbuktu—in modern-day Mali—strikes most travelers as humble and perhaps a bit run-down. But the city’s former status as an Islamic oasis is echoed in its three great mud-and-timber mosques : Djinguereber, Sankore, and Sidi Yahia, which recall Timbuktu's golden age.
Located at the gateway to the Sahara desert, within the confines of the fertile zone of the Sudan and in an exceptionally propitious site near to the river, Timbuktu is one of the cities of Africa whose name is the most heavily charged with history.
Jul 23, 2021 · Timbuktu is an historic city in Mali which was once a centre of trade, religion and culture, although it is today thought of as inaccessible and even mythical, thanks to phrases such as “from here to Timbuktu”.
Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, Town (pop., 2009: 54,453), Mali, on the southern edge of the Sahara near the Niger River. Founded c. 1100 ce by Tuareg nomads, it became an important post on the trans-Saharan caravan routes.
Timbuktu was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988 for its Outstanding Universal Value as an African intellectual and spiritual capital in the 15th and 16th centuries. Among its treasures were sixteen 13th century mausoleums of Muslim saints.
