The fabled city of Timbuktu is not a myth – it does indeed exist – in northern Mali, on the edge of the Sahara desert.
These days, it pretty much lives up to its reputation as “the end of the world” but once upon a time, it was the centre of important trade routes.
Muslim merchants took gold north from West Africa to Europe and the Middle East and returned with salt and other goods.
This trade made the city enormously wealthy – legend has it that the lavish golden gifts dished out in 14th century Cairo by Kankan Moussa, Emperor of the ancient state of Mali, caused the price of gold to crash.
At the time, salt was worth as much as gold, pound for pound, in Timbuktu.
Tales of the city’s riches were spread by the Muslim traders and European explorers who heard them dreamt of making their fortunes many times over.
But Timbuktu was also a great Islamic centre and non-Muslims – such as the explorers – were banned, adding greatly to the mystique which quickly grew up around the city – and which still exists to this day.
But during the 16th and 17th centuries, trade switched to the Atlantic Ocean and the so-called “City of 333 saints” began its long descent.
——————————— BBC News, Monday 15th April 2002
By taking part in this adventure you will be visiting places few of your peers will ever see. You will raise money for an important and relevant charity and doing all this with a group of like-minded people!
We will be driving from the UK to the city of Mopti, Mali where we will board local boats and make the three-day voyage up the River Niger to the city of Timbuktu. During this time we will visit fascinating cities like Marrakech, Nouakchott, Bamako and Djenne, whilst also having the opportunity to camp in the wilds of the Sahara and Sahel. There will also be plenty of opportunities to sun ourselves on various beaches and simply relax, not to mention enjoy the locak nightlife!
We leave on July 7th 2009 and will return to the UK around the 15/16th of August.
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