Timbuktu's Water: The Wells, Rivers, and Climate That Made a City

Timbuktu sits on the edge of the Sahara, yet it became a city of scholars and traders. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the environmental foundation of Timbuktu's rise: the Niger River's annual flood, the man-made water tanks called 'fundi', and the deep wells that sustained a city of learning. They revisit the 1498 fire to see how water shaped rebuilding, and follow Ibn Battuta's account of a river journey that could take months. The episode also considers the dry years that hit the Sahel in the 1700s and how Timbuktu's libraries adapted to climate stress. A story of wells, rain, and resilience — the often-forgotten hydro-history of a desert city. #Timbuktu #NigerRiver #Sahel #IbnBattuta #Djinguereber #Sankore #WestAfrica #ClimateHistory #1498Fire #WaterHistory #DesertCity #TarikhAlSudan #MahmudKati #AhmadBaba #Songhai #SahelDrought #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo