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Mali

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Timbuktu is one of ten administrative divisions in Mali and a name that has become synonymous with a faraway, mysterious place. Tuareg nomads founded it around 1100 A.D. as a seasonal camp, but it became a permanent city in the 12th century. Between the 13th and 14th centuries, Timbuktu had a golden era as an important trade city and home to a 25,000-student university that taught history, law, science, medicine, and Islamic studies. Arab travelers spread stories of Timbuktu that eventually reached Europe, but since travel was long and difficult at that time, the city’s mystique flourished. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988, it was added to the UNESCO list of world heritage in danger in 2012, due to armed conflict in the region.
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