WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER - DAY 15
Emmanuel Taiwo@emmanueltaiwo863879
8 days ago
#neighbors
WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER - DAY 15
TAKING A TOUR TO "THE MOTHER WITH A LARGE NOVEL".
So, yesterday we were at Ibadan Nigeria to learn a few words of the Yoruba Language and trust the learning process was beautiful.
Today, Dear Readership, we would be going on a tour to one of the ancient cities of Africa - this one was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage in danger and it is located in Mali, Africa.
TIMBUKTU (or TOMBOUKTU) is a city in the Western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture. It is located on the southern edge of the sahara, about 8 miles North of River Niger (you still remember we have taken a tour to the River Niger? Beautiful, isn't it? Then, trust me on this one).
In 1988, UNESCO designated TIMBUKTU as a world heritage (not even an African Heritage, it is a world heritage). However, currently it is on the list of UNESCO'S World Heritage in Danger.
History has it that Timbuktu was founded about 1100 CE as a seasonal camp by Tuareg nomads. There are several stories concerning the derivation of the city’s name. According to one tradition, Timbuktu was named for an old woman left to oversee the camp while the Tuareg roamed the Sahara. Her name (variously given as Tombouctu, Timbuktu, or Buctoo) meant “mother with a large navel,” possibly describing an umbilical hernia or other such physical malady. Timbuktu’s location at the meeting point of desert and water made it an ideal trading centre. In the late 13th or early 14th century it was incorporated into the Mali empire.
In the 14th Century, it became a flourishing center for subsaharan gold and salt and in fact three of western Africa’s oldest mosques—Djinguereber (Djingareyber), Sankore, and Sidi Yahia—were built there during the 14th and early 15th centuries.
Dear Readership,the story of TIMBUKTU is so vast and beautiful and therefore if you would want to learn more of this World Heritage, kindly read here -
Till we get to the promised land, I shall be waiting for when you will pass me a glass of water and thank God for the gift of grace for this race.
Reference - Britannica
Picture source - Britannica
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📍Timbuktu, Mali
