Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
TIMBUKTU
Location
Timbuktu is located in West Africa on the southern edge of the Saharan Desert, 13 km north
of the Niger River, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
Location of Timbuktu in Present Day Mali
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In early days, the location of the city at the junction of the dry Sahara and the lush Niger
valley, provided a convenient location for nomads to water and graze their camels. The river
also meant that goods could easily be transported.
Timbuktu was an important post on the Trans-Saharan caravan trade route and in the 14th
century, was the focal point of the gold and salt trade.
Camel Caravan Resting on Way to Timbuktu
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Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
History
The city was founded in 1100 AD by the Tuareg nomads and was incorporated into the
Kingdom of Mali in the late 13th century, by Mansa Musa.
In 1433, the Tuareg people regained control of the city and ruled it from the desert. In 1468,
the city was conquered by Sonni Ali and it became part of the Songhai Empire.
Timbuktu was at the height of its development and became the intellectual and religious
capital of the region at the end of the Mandingo Askia dynasty, during the reign of
Muhammed I Askia.
In 1591, the city was captured by the Moroccans. Scholars were arrested, killed or exiled to
Morocco. The city went into decline after the invasion.
In 1893, the French took over the city and partially restored it from its terrible condition. The
French military occupied Timbuktu and it became a French fort.
In 1960, Timbuktu became independent. It is now the capital of the country of Mali.
These days, there is no gold, but some limited salt trade. The city is mainly accessible by
boat, camel or air. There are no main roads in or out of the city. Timbuktu is a shadow of the
legendary city it once was, and only around 20,000 people live there now.
Trade in Timbuktu
Timbuktu was legendary for its wealth, because of the trade.
Traders brought gold and slaves to the city and exchanged them for salt, cloth and horses.
Fabric was bought to Timbuktu to weave by the Berber merchants. Books and manuscripts,
which were in high demand and were also traded.
An influx of North African merchants came to Timbuktu from Wadan, Tuat, Ghadames, Fez
and other Moroccan and Egyptian cities.
Gold nuggets were used as currency for larger purchases and cowrie shells for smaller
purchases.
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Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
Life in Timbuktu
In the 1400s, there were between 50,000 and 100,000 people living in Timbuktu.
Houses in Timbuktu were mainly huts, made of clay with thatched roofs. There was a
sophisticated system of plumbing, with wells and canals supplying water to the city.
In the centre of the city was a temple built of stone and mortar, as well as a magnificent
palace, where the king lived. No traces of the palace remain today. There were many shops
and markets.
The fertile soils around the Niger River made agriculture possible.
The people of Timbuktu were intelligent, prosperous and peaceful.
View of Timbuktu, 1858
Wikimedia Public Domain
Centre of Learning and Religion
Timbuktu was famous throughout the Muslim world as a centre of learning. An elite group of
Muslim scholars lived in the city.
The University of Sankore and other madrasas (educational institutions) were built there.
Around 25,000 students came from all over North Africa to study the Qua’ran at the
University.Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Optics, Astronomy, Medicine, History,
Geography and Law were also studied.
Timbuktu was regarded as being on the same level as Egypt, in terms of its intellectual
achievements.
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Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
Muslim scholars came to study and spread the word of Islam in Timbuktu. Three great
mosques were built in Timbuktu and remain today.
Timbuktu Mosque
Leo Africanus Travels to Timbuktu
Joannes Leo Africanus (c1494 to 1554) was a diplomat and author
from North Africa, best known for his book ‘A Geographical
History of Africa’, published in 1600, which was read by Europeans
for the next few centuries.
Leo Africanus travelled through the Sahara Desert on two occasions,
once as a young man, with this uncle who was visiting the Sultan of
Sudan, and once on a longer trip, a few years later.
After the first trip, he was captured by pirates and presented to Pope
Leo X as a slave in Rome. On learning that Africanus was an
intellectual, the Pope freed him, baptised him and commissioned him
to write a book about Africa.
When Leo Africanus visited Timbuktu, it was still a busy
centre of trade of African products and books, as well as
famous for its learning, but was past its peak.
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Title Page of Leo Africanus’ Book
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Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
European Travels to Timbuktu
As the word of the wealth of Timbuktu spread to Europe, the Europeans wanted to see this
legendary city for themselves. A London company was formed to establish trade with
Timbuktu, but on the first expedition, all of the travellers were massacred before they reached
the city. The second expedition also never reached Timbuktu.
Many European explorers attempted to reach Timbuktu in the 1700s and 1800s, but did not
survive the journey through the harsh Sahara. The word ‘Timbuktu’ started to be used to
represent a far away and inaccessible place.
In 1824, the Geographical Society of Paris offered a generous reward to the first European
who could travel to Timbuktu and return to tell the tale.
The Scottish explorer, Gordon Laing, was the first to reach Timbuktu in 1826. He was
attacked by the Tuareg on the way, but survived and reached the city after travelling for a
year from Tripoli. He described Timbuktu as a salt trading post, with mud-built brick houses,
in the middle of the desert. He was not impressed and left after a month. He was murdered
two days after leaving Timbuktu.
The next European to reach Timbuktu was Frenchman, Rene-Auguste Caillie, in 1830, who
claimed the reward.
Timbuktu Looking West, Rene Caillie, 1830
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Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
Timbuktu’s Manuscripts
The history of Timbuktu has been recorded in books and papers written by the scholars who
lived in, and visited the city. Books and manuscripts were part of the culture of Timbuktu and
were commodities that were traded. Manuscripts were also imported from North Africa.
Askia Daoud, who reigned from 1548 to 1583, built public libraries in Timbuktu. In addition,
many of the elite scholars had vast personal libraries.
Timbuktu’s Manuscripts
Wikimedia Public Domain
These ancient and priceless documents hold the key to much of West Africa’s history and
heritage. It is estimated that there are around 200,000 to 300,000 manuscripts.
A project with South African assistance was initiated by Thabo Mbeki in 2001, to house and
restore many of these manuscripts in libraries in Timbuktu.
Sixteen of these manuscripts are now displayed in the Standard Bank Gallery in
Johannesburg.
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Grade 7: History
Mali and Timbuktu: Timbuktu
World Heritage Site
Timbuktu is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of the collection of ancient
manuscripts, as well as the three great mosques of Djingareyer, Sankore and Sidi Yahia.
The 14th and 15th century mosques were places of worship, as well as homes of the Islamic
scholars, who were known as the Ambassadors of Peace. The mosques have been restored
but are threatened by the desertification in the area.
Sankore Mosque
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