The western state of MaliThe ancient West African state of Mali was once widely known for its great power in trade and wealth. His empire was located on the edge of the Sahara desert and extended along the entire Atlantic coast in western Africa. Mali had many large cities such as Djenne' and Gao but the one that flourished more than the others that we still hear about today is the large city of Timbuktu. When this city was at its peak it had the potential to influence many countries and foreigners, to begin an adventure to discover what was so majestic about the city of Timbuktu. Timbuktu, in its time was a prosperous city and due to its prosperity it attracted many merchants for their resources and valuables. The Mali Empire had control of many very valuable goods at the time, which they used for trade such as gold, copper, books, slaves and was very famous for salt, which was just as valuable as gold at the time. At the time, salt was rare in those regions and many people, especially in the south, needed it, so they came from Mali with camels full and loaded with salt to trade throughout Africa. (Davidson, The Lost Cities of Africa, Page 90-91) Trade was a very important key to the success of Mali, they used the Niger River or caravans to transport their goods with the use of their trade routes which crossed throughout West Africa and the Niger River which also continued into parts of Europe and the Middle East. All goods exchanged were taxed by Mali and collected. Eventually, Timbuktu became a trading center that attracted many Arab and European merchants to Mali. Timbuktu was once called "The City of Gold" or "The Empire of Gold" which... middle of paper... created such an impact that would be felt for many generations to come. Many linguistic words have survived thanks to the influences Mali had on writing and linguistics, which is why it carried forward the beliefs of Islam long after its fall, continuing to influence other regions of Africa. In conclusion, The West African State of Mali was one of the most influential regions of its time, being able to grow into a center of learning and wealth, it welcomed many foreigners not only for its valuable resources but also for its education. It prospered in many ways and influenced many countries and regions in Africa in architecture, art and faith. The Western State of Mali contributed so much to its time and age, as we continue to discover more about the Mali Empire, we can only hope to unravel more mysteries about the glorious city of Timbuktu..