View of Timbuktu (Tombouctou) drawn by the French explorer René Caillié in 1828 who spent two weeks there dressed as an Egyptian. He is credited with being the first European and non-muslim traveller to enter the historic city, though it is believed a Scottish army major, Gordon Laing, reached Timbuktu in 1826 but was slain on leaving. Caillié noted the city had declined somewhat from its former glory as a wealthy oasis on the edge of the Sahara. It was a centre of trade between the Arabs, Moors and Tuaregs and an advanced hub for Islamic learning with the Sankoré university mosque and over 100 schools. Many manuscripts still exist covering a wide range of fields – law, medicine, astronomy and literature. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Terry, Sheila |
Bildgröße: | 6283 px × 2809 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |