The historic town of Timbuktu is located at the precise point where the Niger river
flows into the southern edge of the Sahara desert.
Timbuktu was founded by the
Tuareg imashagan
in the 11th century.
During the rainy season, the Tuaregs roam the desert up to Arawan in search of
grazing lands for their animals. However, during the dry season, they returned
to the Niger river where the animals grazed on a grass called "burgu."
Timbuktu was important trading center for many centuries, where caravans from the north
met the people from the south to trade salt, textiles, tobacco for gold, ivory, and slaves.
Also, it was one of the most important centers of Islamic learning, boasting ten Koranic
universities at one time. Today, Timbuktu is little more than a museum town with
a few impressive buildings.
The population of Timbuktu today is about 32,000 people.
