Tombouctou is the large northern-most region of Mali, comprised mostly of the Southwestern section of the Sahara desert. See also the Empire of Mali and the town of Mali, Guinea. ... The Sahara is the worlds second largest desert (second to Antarctica), over 9,000,000 km² (3,500,000 mi²), located in northern Africa and is 2. ... A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. ...

Tombouctou is famous for the semi-mythical city Timbuktu (or as known in French, Tombouctou), synonymous with an elusive, hard-to-reach destination. The city began its mythical reputation in 1390 when its ruler went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, stopping with his entourage in Egypt and dispersing enough gold to trash the Egyptian currency. This started the legend of a city in the interior of Africa, where roads are paved with gold and buildings with roofs of gold, which was not true. See also Timbuktu (novel) for the book by Paul Auster. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... Events Births future Byzantine Emperor John VIII Palaeologus future ruler of Wallachia Vlad II Dracul (estimated date). ... A pilgrimage is a journey by a religious person to a place that is sacred according to his or her religion. ... Mecca or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukkaramah; Arabic مكة المكرمة) is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all Muslims who can afford to go. ... The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: مصر, romanized Miṣr or Maṣr, in Egyptian dialect) is a republic mostly located in north-eastern Africa. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19300 kg/m3, 2. ...

The city is located at the Southern edge of the Sahara, near the Niger River, which has headwaters in the highlands very near the Atlantic coast before its long 1500 mile journey to the Northeast, before finally turning South to reach the Atlantic. The riches of the kingdom were due to Tombouctou's position as the Southern terminus of the trans-sahara salt and gold trade route. At its peak, the city was home to 100,000 with 25,000 associated with the Islamic University, hence earning the reputation as the "Oxford of West Africa." The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending over 2500 miles (about 4000 km). ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... A trade route is a commonly used path of travel for those (e. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... West Africa is the region of western Africa generally considered to include these countries: Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast) Equatorial Guinea Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Chad, Mauritania, and...

Tombouctou's prominence went into decline after the city was captured by Morocco in 1590. Many of the Islamic scholars were dispersed, some sent to Morocco. Morocco had difficulty holding onto the city, as the supply lines were long compared to the closer kingdoms vying for dominance of the region. Yet the city continued to have a near-mythical status because of its remoteness. The Kingdom of Morocco is a country in northwest Africa. ... Events March 14 - Battle of Ivry - Henry IV of France again defeats the forces of the Catholic League under the Duc de Mayenne. ... Ulema (Arabic: علماء) is the community of legal scholars of Islam and the Sharia. ...

The region was marginalized under French colonial control, which ended in 1960. The French opened up shorter trade routes to the Atlantic, cutting into the trans-Sahara trading economy.-1...