- published: 18 May 2014
- views: 671609
Timbuktu (pron.: /ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː/), also spelled as Tinbuktu, Timbuctoo and Timbuktoo (Berber: Tinbuktu; French: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu), is a historical and still-inhabited city in the West African nation of Mali, situated 20 km (12 mi) north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali. It had a population of 54,453 in the 2009 census.
Starting out as a seasonal settlement, Timbuktu became a permanent settlement early in the 12th century. After a shift in trading routes, Timbuktu flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory and slaves. It became part of the Mali Empire early in the 14th century. In the first half of the 15th century the Tuareg tribes took control of the city for a short period until the expanding Songhai Empire absorbed the city in 1468. A Moroccan army defeated the Songhai in 1591, and made Timbuktu, rather than Gao, their capital.
The invaders established a new ruling class, the Arma, who after 1612 became virtually independent of Morocco. However, the golden age of the city was over, during which it was a major learning and cultural center of the Mali empire, and it entered a long period of decline. Different tribes governed until the French took over in 1893, a situation that lasted until it became part of the current Republic of Mali in 1960. Presently, Timbuktu is impoverished and suffers from desertification.
Pack up with what's worthy
Lock it up in the car
Don't be surprised if i drive too far
Speak now and we're followed while the weakest react
The nose on the siren is right on our tracks
A pair of tripods eyes through streets of mercury
Not as common as leisure days
Not as modern as much too late
I sailed through the catapults between april and may
He quoted his price & that's what he'll pay
He spread thick like a heathen
The clouds buried the chalk
While the sut on our throat
Till our engine stops
Pearls & oysters every each turn
Grow the lilac near the grubworm
Push the button closest to him
Give me glue so i can stick to plan
Push the button closest to him
But instead