Salt comes from north, gold from south and silver from the land of Whites, but the Word of God, the famous things, histories and fairy tales, we only find them in Timbuktu” (Sudanese proverb of the XVI century).What are the origins of this Malian city whose name immediately raises enthusiasm and curiosity all over the world? Tombouctou, from the Targuish word in Tinbouctou, means “the place of Bouctou”.
It was founded in the XI century when the Imack-Charen Tuaregs, nomads who spent winters in Azouad and dry seasons near the Niger, discovered this small well slightly north of the riverbanks. When they left for the north, they would leave some of their luggage behind with an old woman to look after it. Bouctou was her name. Thus started a small village that a few centuries later would become one of the most important and famous commercial and religious centers of northern Africa.Timbuktu was exceptionally well situated and this made it a first class trade centreWhen Emperor Kankan Moussa returned from his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325, he had been so impressed by Cairo and the other holy cities visited that he decided to transform Tombouctou: he ordered the construction of Djingareiber Mosque and developed the already flourishing commerce.
This was the golden age (XIV-XVI centuries) of the town risen from the desert sands. In Tombouctou the White north met the Black south and everything was traded: silk, spices, copper, tin, gold ivory, ostrich feathers, slaves, salt, etc…Riches poured in and allowed the blossoming of a very defined civilization centred around the art of living. The hearts of the literary flourishing were the University and Mosque of Sankoré. Timbultu’s history mirrors the rise and decline of civilizations in the area. Central spot on the trade routes in medieval times, when ancient Mali declined, Timbouktu was taken over by the Fulani people and later by the French.
But the spirit of Tombouctou, its faith and its pride still mark the inhabitants and its buildings: Djingareiber, Sankore and sidi Yahya Mosques, the explorers’homes (Caillé, Barth, Mungo Partk and Laing), the buildings built in the same style for centuries past, the Museum, the Library, the market, the Azalai caravans,… UNESCO listed Timbuktu as a World heritage site in 1988.
I am proud to say that I am from Mali!!!!!!!!!
Today, Tombouctou remains with us as a powerful myth and, in this way, resembles another Ancient Wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.).).)
No comments:
Post a Comment