With streets apparently paved with gold, fabulous riches and dazzling wealth, in a golden age of exploration there were few cities on earth to match the intriguing lure of Timbuktu. Distant and se ...

Alice Morrison, Arabist and explorer, journeys beneath the veil along Africa's infamous salt roads from Morocco via the Sahara Desert to the legendary city of Gold, Timbuktu.

"Books," he said raising a massive index finger for emphasis, "were once more desired than gold or slaves in Timbuktu." He clicked a flashlight on and balanced a mangled pair of glasses on his nose.

Its geographical location, sitting on the edge of the Sahara desert with access to the River Niger, meant Timbuktu was at the centre of essential trading routes for salt and gold. In Timbuktu and ...