1. Lesson 4 Where Is Timbuktu?

2. Where Is Timbuktu? "I had to search from here to Timbuktu to find the book you wanted!" If someone said that to you, would you understand what that person meant? The word, "Timbuktu" has come to refer to any remote location, ( ) far away from ordinary places. search from A to B come to v = remote location ordinary

3. You might hear people say, "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to park my car in Timbuktu," or "I want to go to a good university in the city, not one out in Timbuktu." But is Timbuktu a real place? Where is it, really? park university

4. Timbuktu is a real town, in a real place, namely, the country of Mali in western Africa. It sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert, about 13 kilometers from the Niger River. namely =that is =that is to say =in other words sit on = be located on = be situated on edge

5. Living up to its reputation, it is a remote place, even today. There are no other major towns or cities nearby. live up to reputation major nearby

6. At one time, Timbuktu was a very important city, like Rome, Athens, Jerusalem, and Xi'an. It was the center of learning in Africa, and people called it the "City of Gold." at one time

7. It was home to a booming gold and salt trade as well as several universities and schools. While traveling in the desert, everyone needed salt, so they had to buy it in Timbuktu. Sometimes it was more expensive than gold! home to booming A as well as B = desert expensive

8. During the reign of King Mansa Moussa, beautiful mosques and schools were built to teach his religion, Islam. The most famous of these was Sankore Mosque, also known as Sankore University, which had about 25,000 students. reign mosque religion

9. Timbuktu became a cultural center, not only for Africa but for the Islamic world. From the 12th century until Morocco's invasion in the 16th century, Timbuktu enjoyed its golden age. cultural not only A but (also) B = invade Invasion golden age

10. About the text 1.What does “Timbuktu” mean in “from here to Timbuktu”? 2. Where is real Timbuktu? 3. Why was Timbuktu a very important city at one time?

11. News of this vibrant city spread far and wide, arousing the curiosity of all those who heard about it. This led to increased interactions with other nations, and in 1591, Morocco took over Timbuktu, controlling it until 1780. vibrant spread arouse curiosity lead to interaction take over

12. Unfortunately, during that time, the rulers did not take good care of the city. They killed many of the teachers and students, closed the universities and destroyed the trade. Timbuktu went from being the "City of Gold" to being a poor town, as it passed from ruler to ruler. unfortunately take good care of destroy ruler

13. In Europe, however, the city's reputation continued to live on. It was said that Timbuktu was covered with gold, and many royals and explorers were eager to see it. live on be covered with royal explore explorer be eager to V

14. Various European explorers tried again and again to reach the city but were unsuccessful. They did not know how to cross the Sahara Desert, and many did not survive their attempts. survive attempt

15. Finally, in 1824, the Geographical Society of Paris offered a generous prize of 10,000 francs to anyone who could bring back news of Timbuktu. It was a dangerous mission, and the first person to return alive was Frenchman Rene Caillie. generous generosity mission alive

16. He traveled through the desert for a year, learning Arabic and disguising himself as an Arab. When he arrived in Timbuktu in 1828, though, instead of gold and riches, he found a poor town with a strong intellectual and religious life. disguise instead of intellectual religious

17. The houses were small and made of earth, not gold. When the French colonized the area in 1894, more than twenty schools were still open and doing very well. be made of earth colony colonize

18. About the text 1.What happened in Timbuktu after Morocco took over it? 2. Why did many European Explorers fail to reach Timbuktu?

19. Today, Timbuktu is in the independent country of Mali. Some of the beautiful old buildings are still standing, and Sankore University is also still open, with about 15,000 students. It's a town of contrasts. dependent independent contrast

20. On the one hand, it is a poor town in a very poor country; on the other ( ), the town is home to priceless books and documents which international organizations such as UNESCO have helped to preserve. on the one hand on the other hand priceless document international organization preserve

21. The precious documents were copied by hand and contain more than a thousand years of knowledge. This town has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and now attracts curious visitors and historians from around the world. precious contain knowledge attract historian

22. Although it is still remote and situated on the edge of a great desert, Timbuktu has its own airport. Many people still cross the desert or come in on the Niger River, but it is possible to reach it by air, just as if you were flying in to Seoul, Paris, or New York. Going "from here to Timbuktu" is not as difficult as it once was! be situated on as if

23. About the text 1.Why is Timbuktu a town of contrasts? 2. Why isn’t it so difficult to go to Timbuktu today?