“I always heard people say, you know, from here to Timbuktu, but it’s not a real place, is it?...” When Europe was mired in the Dark Ages, Timbuktu, poised near the great northern turn in the Niger River, was, during the 1300’s, one of the worlds most advanced cities. Mansa Musa, king of the Mali empire, erected his royal residence, the Madugu, here. Gold and salt trade routes crossed here with caravans of heavily laden dromedaries that traveled from West Africa to Tripoli, Alexandria, Cairo and beyond...

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blisb/support