Timbuktu Trade Hub

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1150Timbuktu · MaliTimbuktu rose at the junction of Saharan southern trade routes and Niger River navigation, first a seasonal trading camp shared by Tuareg nomads and settled merchants, gradually fixed as a relay point for salt, slaves, and southern goods.
2. 1180–1190Timbuktu · MaliIn the 1180s Timbuktu already stably handled the distribution of goods between North Africa's Maghreb and the West African interior; camel caravans exchanged Taghaza salt for southern gold, and though the city was small, its trade-route position grew ever more prominent.
3. c. 1325–1590Timbuktu · MaliFrom the 14th to 16th centuries under Mali and Songhai rule, Timbuktu developed into an important West African center of scholarship and manuscript trade; institutions like Sankore University drew scholars from across regions, deeply combining its trade-hub function with knowledge production.