Timbuktu (www.aluka.org)
Originally uploaded by Aluka Digital Library

For those of you who might think otherwise, Timbuktu is really a place, situated in Mali. It was the spiritual and intellectual center of the spread of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries, just as European explorers were heading out for the Spice Islands.

So, now you know and knowing is half the battle.

Actually, these images are taken from Aluka.