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'''Timbuktu''' was a prominent city on the [[Niger River]] in the modern [[West African]] country of [[Mali]].  It was a city populated by the Songhay, Tuareg, Fulani, and Moorish people.  It was founded by the Tuareg sometime after 1000 A.D. and became a center of [[Islamic]] learning. It fell into decline when the [[Spanish]] invaded. It has never recovered its former glory.

'''Timbuktu''' was a prominent city on the [[Niger River]] in the modern [[West African]] country of [[Mali]], known as the ''African [[Eldorado]]''.  It was a city populated by the Songhay, Tuareg, Fulani, and Moorish people.  It was founded by the Tuareg sometime after 1000 A.D. and became a center of [[Islamic]] learning. It fell into decline when the [[Spanish]] invaded. It has never recovered its former glory. Due to [[desertification]] of the [[sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Sahara]], the cities once flourishing gardens have shrivelled. Water must be irrigated by [[aqueduct]]s from further downstream, leading to occasional civil disturbances over the [[rationing]] of water and basic [[sewage]] disposal. The city is made of mud<ref>http://www.esnips.com/oases/Timbuktu</ref> and has annual problems with sand, which will make the city disappear if no one acts quickly.<ref>http://www.wisegeek.com/where-is-timbuktu.htm</ref>

 

== Sources ==

== Sources ==

The Earth and Its Peoples A Global History, Bulliet et al, 2005.

The Earth and Its Peoples A Global History, Bulliet et al, 2005.

[[Category:African Cities and Towns]]

 

 

 

[[Category:African Cities and Towns]][[Category:Capital Cities]]