The word “Timbuktu” (or Timbuctoo or Tombouctou) is used in several languages to represent a far-away place but Timbuktu is an actual city in the African country of Mali.
Located near the edge the Niger River during the rainy season (but about 8 miles from the river during much of the year), Timbuktu was founded by nomads in the twelfth century and it rapidly became a major trading depot for the caravans of the Sahara Desert.
During the fourteenth century, the legend of Timbuktu as a rich cultural center spread through the world. The beginning of the legend can be traced to 1324, when the Emperor of Mali made his pilgrimage to Mecca via Cairo. In Cairo, the merchants and traders were impressed by the amount of gold carried by the emperor, who claimed that the gold was from Timbuktu. Furthermore, in 1354 the great Muslim explorer Ibn Batuta wrote of his visit to Timbuktu and told of the wealth and gold of the region. Thus, Timbuktu became renown as an African El Dorado, a city made of gold.
During the fifteenth century, Timbuktu grew in importance but its homes were never made of gold. Timbuktu produced few of its own goods but served as the major trading center for salt trade across the desert region. The city also became a center of Islamic study and the home of a university and extensive library. The city’s maximum population during the 1400s probably numbered somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000, with approximately one-quarter of the population composed of scholars and students.
The legend of Timbuktu’s wealth refused to die and only grew. A 1526 visit to Timbuktu by a Muslim from Grenada, Leo Africanus, told of Timbuktu as a typical trading outpost. This only incited further interest in the city. In 1618, a London company was formed to establish trade with Timbuktu. Unfortunately, the first trading expedition ended up with the massacre of all its members and a second expedition sailed up the Gambia River and thus never reached Timbuktu.
In 1824, the Geographical Society of Paris offered a reward of 7000 francs and a gold metal valued at 2,000 francs to the first European who could visit Timbuktu and return to tell their story of the mythical city…
How to get to Timbuktu
About as close to the middle of nowhere as you’re likely to get, Timbuktu is located in central Mali, West Africa. Several international carriers fly to Mali’s capital Bamako, you can connect through Paris or Zurich. So far, it all sounds quite sophisticated doesn’t it? The rub is getting from Bamako to Timbuktu, an uncomfortable 250 mile journey.
Ironically the best way to get to Timbuktu is by boat down the Niger river. First you have to find a bus to Koulikoro, 35 miles east of Bamako. Next, you hope it’s the rainy season and find a boat to take you to Kabara. It should take you a mere 4 days (give or take a week) to get to Kabara. Luckily, at Kabara you’re just 4 miles away from Timbuktu and a shared taxi should get you there in no time to book in to one of the two hotels in town.
But really folks, you can always catch a domestic flight on an old Russian plane (keep your fingers crossed on the landing.) Bus services from Bamako are available in the dry season for a bumpy 3 day journey.
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