The historic town of Timbuktu is located at the precise point where the
Niger flows northward into the southern edge of the desert. As a result
of its unique geographical position, Timbuktu has been a natural meeting
point of Songhai, Wangara,Fulani, Tuareg and Arabs. According to the inhabitants
of Timbuku, gold came from the south, the salt from the north and the
Divine knowledge, from Timbuktu. Timbuktu is also the cross-road where
"the camel met the canoe." It is to this privilege position
that the city owes much of its historical dynamism. From the 11th century
and onward, Timbuktu became an important port where goods from West Africa
and North Africa were traded.
