Timbuktu is in Mali, near the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.
The city grew from a seasonal settlement into a major center of trans-Saharan trade. Its position near the Niger River’s inland delta linked desert caravan routes with West African markets. Merchants exchanged gold, salt and other goods, helping Timbuktu flourish under empires including Mali and Songhai.
Timbuktu also became renowned for Islamic scholarship. The Sankore madrasah and other institutions attracted scholars, while libraries preserved thousands of manuscripts covering religion, law, science and literature. The city’s earthen mosques, including Djinguereber, reflect local Sahelian building traditions.
Timbuktu is often portrayed as completely isolated in the desert, but its importance came from its connections across the Sahara and to the Niger River system. Mali is landlocked in West Africa and has Bamako as its capital.