Timbuctoo through the eyes of travelers

Timbuctoo, one of the West African cities, gained a place in history with its enormous wealth between the 14th and 16th centuries. Timbuctoo was under the auspices of the Mali and Songhay Empires, and had a central position in the trading basins of Bilad al-Sudan in both periods. Timbuctoo, where gold trade is actively carried out, has been a city that Europeans have tried to reach for many years. Issues such as the inadequacy of the geographical point of knowledge and not being familiar with the nature of the African interior have made Timbuctoo a symbol of distance in the historical process. Again, in relation to these issues, the desire to reach this rich city in Africa has reached a position equivalent to risking death. This study will primarily deal with the perspectives of travelers trying to reach Timbuctoo. In the light of the travel names of travelers of different nationalities and beliefs, their own 'Timbuctoo' descriptions will be presented, and they will evaluate the observations under specified common headings. Finally, observations about the city through travel writings written at different intervals of history will provide the opportunity to analyze the existing starting points for positioning Africa in world history.