Guide Note

The city of Timbuktu, located today in the nation of Mali, was at one time a significant intellectual and spiritual world capital, and a nexus for the spread of Islam throughout Africa. Many of the city's libraries and learning centers, including Sankore Madrasah, still stand today.

Fast Facts

French spelling: Tombouctou
Located on the inner delta of the Niger River
Current Population: 35,000
Languages: Arabic, Bambara, French, Songhai
Founded 1080 AD when Tuareg nomads build a caravan rest stop around a well
Major Saharan trade center for copper, gold, salt, slaves, and silver
Center of Medieval Islamic intellectual studies

Founding

Timbuktu was founded by the Tuareg Imashagan people in the 11th century.[1] A semi-nomadic peoples, the Tuareg would travel around the desert during the rainy season to find grazing land for their livestock. During the dry season however they would return to the Niger River which would lead to sicknesses from mosquitoes and stagnant water. Eventually they settled a few miles away from the river where they dug a well which became the origin of the ancient city.

Categories

History | African History

View Note History

History of Timbuktu

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: Timbuktu Educational Foundation
BBC: Country Profile: Mali
Wikipedia: Timbuktu
History.com Classroom: Timbuktu, Mali: Intellectual and Spiritual Capital
The Lonely Planet: Timbuktu Travel Information
Saudi Aramco World: "Islamic Legacy of Timbuktu" (1995)
UNESCO: World Heritage Review

Timbuktu Current Structure

U.S. Department of State: Background Note: Mali
UNESCO: Country Profile: Mali
CIA Factbook: Mali
Wikipedia: Foreign relations of Mali and Human rights in Mali
Afrique.net: Interactive Timbuktu map

Timbuktu Current Events

Google News: Mali
The New York Times: "Timbuktu Hopes Ancient Texts Spark a Revival" (August 7, 2007)
International Herald Tribune: "Ancient writings bring new interest to Timbuktu" (August 6, 2007)
Guardian Unlimited: "In fabled city at the end of the earth, a treasury of ancient manuscripts" (July 2, 2007)
Slate Magazine: Timbuktu for the timid (2005)
BBC News: Floods damage ancient Timbuktu (2003)

Timbuktu Background and Natural History

PBS.org: Wonders of the African World: The Road to Timbuktu
Timbuktu Educational Foundation: History of Timbuktu
BBC News: Timbuktu - city of legends (2002)
University of Calgary: The Islamic World to 1600: West Africa
NPR Radio Expeditions: On the Edge, Timbuktu (2003)
Natural History Magazine: Space, Time, and Timbuktu (2007)
National Geographic "Reclaiming the Ancient Manuscripts of Timbuktu" (2003)
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Mali: Geography and History

Timbuktu Timeline

Periods in Timbuktu History

Trading Outpost

Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade (7th–14th century)
Wikipedia: Tuareg

Ghana Empire (750-1076)

Wikipedia: Ghana Empire
Ghana.co.uk: Empire of Ancient Ghana
Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Empires of the Western Sudan: Ghana Empire
BBC World Service: Ancient Ghana
PBS.org: The Road to Timbuktu: Empires of Ghana and Mali

Mali Empire (1235 to 1645)

Wikipedia: Mali Empire
Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Empires of the Western Sudan: Mali Empire
ArchNet: Dictionary of Islamic Architecture: Mali
BBC World Service: Mali
WorldNet Virginia: The Mali Empire: History
Smithsonian Museum: National Museum of African Art: Mali Empire and Djenne Figures
Learner.org: Collapse: Mali and Songhai

Songhai Empire (1275-1591)

Wikipedia: Songhai Empire
Princeton Online: Mansa Musa and the Songhai Empire
Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Empires of the Western Sudan: Songhai Empire
Washington State University: Translated excerpt from Description of Timbuktu by Leo Africanus
BBC World Service: Songhay

Morisco Invasion and Decline

Wikipedia: Morisco and Scramble for Africa
University of Houston: Digital History: Exploration 3: Timbuktu

Timbuktu Maps and Media

Flickr: Timbuktu clusters
Google Images: Timbuktu
National Geographic: Sahara Salt Trade Camel Caravans gallery
WorldHeritage.dk: Timbuktu stamps
University of Texas at Austin: Historical Maps of Africa: Timbuktu, 1855
YouTube: Tuareg Dance - Timbuktu, Mali (Time: 3:22)

Timbuktu Books and Research

Library of Congress: Global Gateway: Islamic Manuscripts from Mali
Library of Congress: Exhibitions: Ancient Manuscripts From the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu
International Museum of Muslim Cultures: Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of the Written Word Exhibit
PBS.org: Religion and Ethics: Timbuktu (2003)
Amazon.com: Books about Timbuktu History

History of Timbuktu Music and Culture

University of Oslo: The Timbuktu Libraries and Timbuktu Manuscripts Project
Tombouctou 2006: Guide to the Tombs of Muslim Saints in Timbuktu
Central Oregon Community College "Epic of Sundjata"
The Hindi: "Desert Rhythms" (2003)

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