What Do You Know About Timbuktu?

19/10 06:30 - What Do You Know About Timbuktu?
In the West, the name Timbuktu has become a metaphor for an extremely remote place, or even a place that doesn't exist, like El Dorado or Xanadu. This reputation comes from the fact that, for most of history, it was very hard to get there from Europe because you have to cross the Sahara Desert. The medieval accounts of Mansa Musa, who had so much gold he crashed the world's monetary system, added to the mystery of Timbuktu when later travelers did not find unlimited gold there, just a city made of mud buildings. Timbuktu arose as an important crossroad in Mali, where ancient trade routes meet the Niger River and the Sahara. Its distinction in Africa is that of a library, a city renowned for its valuable books and ancient manuscripts, treasured above gold. In 2012, the city was taken over by terrorist forces, who threatened those books, and the people of Timbuktu took extreme measures to protect them. Learn about the real city of Timbuktu and why it became a mystery to Western civilization at Moss & Fog. -via Nag on the Lake ...