Mali is home to the ancient city of Timbuktu.
Timbuktu lies near the southern edge of the Sahara, in northern Mali, close to the Niger River’s inland delta. It grew into an important trading centre because caravans connected North Africa with West Africa across the desert.
During the 14th to 16th centuries, Timbuktu flourished under the Mali and Songhai empires. Its markets handled gold, salt and other goods, while its mosques and schools made it a major centre of Islamic scholarship. The Sankore Madrasah became especially associated with learning.
Timbuktu is often imagined as impossibly remote, but its historic importance came from its position within regional trade networks. The city’s historic mosques and cemeteries were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.