Adolescenza **** Discoteche/   Web stradivariusconcerti.com

Mediterraneo

Letteratura Africana	Islam	Cristianesimo	Arabic Literature
Letteratura Araba	Letteratura Sudafricana	Musica Africana

Oasi

Sahara

Maghreb

	Africa
	Mali

Djenne

Dogon

Timbuktu

Thanks to http://www.world66.com/ *********************The content is published under a creative commons licence : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0 / ).

Timbuktu Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Minaret, Sankoré mosque Minaret, Sankoré mosque jst In the minds of the West the name Timbuktu evokes the end of the world. The city gained its reputation as a city of mystery because no European ever saw it and returned to tell the tale until 1828. Timbuktu used to be an important center along the trade routes (gold, salt, slaves) linking sub-Saharan Africa to North-Africa. The Tuareg and Arabic tribes ruled over these routes and this brought them their wealth. What's left of this grandeur is a small, remote but charming town made near the Niger River in north-central Mali. The best and nicest way to get to Timbuktu is by riverboat. It does take a long time to get there by this route. From Mopti it takes about three days with stops at villages along the way. If you want more than 2 or 3 stops, arrange to spend 4 days on the boat. It costs 300,000CFAish to charter a pinasse - technically it'll seat 20, but more than 6 people will be cramped. From Gao takes 3 to 4 days. You will see good bird life as well as the life of the local people, and particularly on the Gao route should be able to see hippos. You can fly to Timbuktu from Mopti or Bamako a couple of days a week. __________Sights Edit This photo Timbuktu has three of the oldest mosques of West Africa. They are not very big in size, they're not even very pretty, but they sure are old. [Add Sight] Caillie's House Edit This Rene Caillie , a French explorer, reached Timbuktu in the beginning of the 19-th century. He was the first European to reach the town and live to tell the tale. The house itself has little more to offer than the plaque on the wall. type: general World66 rating: [rate it] Markets Edit This The grand Marche is a covered market in the old section of town. There is not a lot of food tro be bought here, it's mostly cloth, pots and pans. You can, however, buy rocksalt from the desert here. The petit Marche, just north of the Bouctou hotel, offers more food, some meat, but also handicrafts. type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] Museum Edit This The Timbuktu Museum is quite good and worth a visit. It's close to Sidi Yahya Mosque and has a good collection of old photos. type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] Sankore Mosque Edit This Minaret, Sankoré mosque Minaret, Sankoré mosque photo by: jst This used to be the center of the University of Timbuktu which had 2500 students. This fact is hard to imagine if you have a look at the crumbling mosque of nowadays. type: general World66 rating: [rate it] Djinguereber Mosque Edit This The oldest and biggest and the only one you can visit from the inside. It's 200 meter west of the Place de l'Independance. It dates back to the 14-th century. Sometimes the guards let you climb the minaret. They clearly expect a tip. type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] openingHours: rgyhh Sidi Yahya Mosquee Edit This Close to Caille's house is the Sidi Yahya. It dates back to the 15-th century and is named after the patron Saint of Timbuktu. type: general World66 rating: [rate it] Tuareg camps Edit This Timbuktu - in the middle of the desert Timbuktu - in the middle of the desert photo by: jst Take a camel ride out of town to one of the Tuareg camps, and you've done the touristy thing to do. It's fun though. Before you go with anyone, make sure you want to visit a real campement, and not a bunch of people selling Tuareg carpets. type: general World66 rating: [rate it] Laing's house Edit This Gordon Laing, a Scot, was the first explorer to reach Timbuktu. On his way back however, he was killed on orders o the Sultan. type: general World66 rating: [rate it] __________Getting There Edit This Getting there is half the fun. Timbuktu did not get its reputation for being at the end of the world for nothing. Basically you have three options: by air, by land and by boat. By air Air Mali has flights from Bamako and from Gao. There is a bus to the airport that costs about 1000 CFA. By road It's not easy but it's possible. You can either get here with your own 4WD or by bus. The 4WD is the realitively comfortable option; they operate like taxi brousses. The best places to catch one are Mopti and Douazenta. Depending on the state of the road (or rather: trail) transport from Mopti can take anywhere from 8 to 24 hours. The bus is actually an open lorry, even more crowded than a 4WD, and considerably slower. In any case, if you have the time, take the boat. By boat The most scenic way of transport. There are frequent tourist, public and freight pinasses from Mopti and Gao. During the wet season there is also a bigger boat, the Comanav, which goes all the way from Bamako. The boat stops at Kabara, some ten km out of town. Count on three to five days' travel from Mopti and Gao, with stops in villages along the way. By camel Certainly one of the more adventurous ways of getting to Timbuktu. For a price, it is possible to tag along with a caravan across the Sahara desert.