The word `Timbuktu` (or Timbuctoo, Tombouctou) is used to refer to a mysterious place far away.
The city of Timbuktu was once an important trading node for the people of the Sahara desert.
The city was built by nomads in the 12th century. With rapid development, by the 14th century, stories about Timbuktu’s wealth spread everywhere.
By 1354, Muslim explorer Ibn Batuta wrote about Timbuktu as a rich city with lots of gold.
This place contains many precious books of the Middle Ages – proof of a huge treasure of knowledge located in the heart of the `golden city`.
But for Westerners at that time, Timbuktu still contained many secrets.
The mystery began in 1618, when a London company sent two delegations to Timbuktu to establish trade deals.
In 1805, Scottish doctor Mungo Park decided to set out for Timbuktu with a group of both Europeans and natives.
However, since 1825, this place has received many visits from European explorers.
Now Timbuktu has become a deserted city.
Since the 16th century, when the trade route switched to the Atlantic sea route, this place gradually lost its glamor, leaving only stories of mysterious disappearances.
However, the wild beauty of this mysterious ancient city and the treasure trove of medieval knowledge stored in the university and library still attract thousands of visitors every year.
Van Giang (according to About)
