Tourist Ideas for Timbuktu
Timbuktu is located on the southern border of the Sahara Desert and is an important city in Mali, a West African country. The mysterious city has been considered a simile for a far away or outlandish place; however, in reality, it was a famed cultural, intellectual, and religious center of Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Timbuktu has been a United Nations World Heritage Site since 1988 and is a well-known tourist destination. Here is a list of its important sites in Timbuktu.
Most of the beautiful and impressive edifices in the country are mosques built in the fascinating Sahel style. While most of them are only for Muslims, the best known, Djingareyber Mosque, is accessible to non-Muslims as well. This wonderful, 700 year old, place of worship has slightly curved walls, conical minarets and decorated wooden doors and is visited by over 2,000 men every Friday. The roof of the mosque is said to have some notes written by René Caillié. The Sidi Yahya mosque was built in 1440 and is notable for its Moroccan architectural style. And the Sankoré mosque, the largest Islamic learning center of the 16th century is another important mosque in Timbuktu.
The largest collection of ancient Arabic manuscripts as well as a number of libraries holding these literary treasures make Timbuktu a unique destination. There are over 60 private libraries in the city with an amazing collection of around 1,000,000 manuscripts that have survived many centuries. Most of these manuscripts are religious, connected with the Koran, Sufi writings, and Islamic studies. Manuscripts dealing with history, literature, contracts and are also available. The Ahmed Baba Institute contains more than 30,000 manuscripts and is the national conservation center and depository for manuscripts. It was established by UNESCO in 1970.
The town has many famed libraries of which the Al Wangari library is perhaps the oldest and most popular one. The library dates back to the 16th century and has more than a thousand important manuscripts. The library is funded by Ford Foundation. The Bibliothèque Al Imam Essayoute is located near the Grand Mosque and is another well-known library.
The Grand Marché market is located in the heart of the old town and is a two-storey building. The lively market has many shops, booths and nearby street stalls which sell various kinds of things such as clothes, spices, meat, vegetables, utensils and handicrafts. It is a good place to experience dynamic street life and go to the buildings’ rooftops to enjoy an incredible view of the entire city. Most of the people here use donkey carts for transportation.
Visit the well-known Ethnological Museum in Timbuktu located at the site where the city was founded. The dusty museum holds some historic artifacts, photographs, old music instruments, ornaments and artwork. The well of Bouctou is placed in its inner court and is another remarkable thing to see. It is believed that the well of Bouctou was the meeting point for the traders traveling across the Sahara in olden days. The attractive wooden doors of Timbuktu are famous and you will see a number of wooden doors, adorned with panels, metal studs and knockers in the old town.
Enjoy a 30-60 minutes camel ride to a Tuareg camp on the outskirts, preferably with a guide. The fun experience will provide some great views of the desert. You can spend the night at the Tuareg camp and watch a fine dance by the Tuareg woman.…