The Western State of MaliThe former West African State of Mali was once widely known for its great trading power and wealth. His empire was located on the edge of the Sahara Desert and extended along the entire Atlantic coast to the west of Africa. Mali had many large cities like Djenné and Gao but the one that prospered beyond the others and 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 embark on an adventure to discover what was so majestic about the city of Timbuktu. Timbuktu, in its time, was a prosperous city and thanks to its prosperity it attracted many merchants for their resources and valuables. The Mali Empire controlled many very valuable assets in its time, which it used for trade such as gold, copper, books, slaves and was extremely well known for its salt, which at the time was everything as precious as salt. gold. At the time, salt was scarce in these areas and many people, especially in the south, needed it. So they came from Mali with camels full and loaded with salt to trade it throughout Africa. (Davidson, The Lost Cities of Africa, pages 90-91) Trade was a very important key to Mali's success, they used the Niger River or caravans to transport their goods using their trade routes which ran throughout the country. West Africa and the Niger River continued to parts of Europe and the Middle East. All goods exchanged were taxed by Mali and collected. Eventually, Timbuktu became a center of trade 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 will be felt on many generations to come. Many language words have survived thanks to the influences that Mali had on writing and linguistics, which is why it perpetuated the beliefs of Islam even long after its fall, continuing to influence many other regions of Africa. Mali was one of the most influential regions of its time, being able to become a center of learning and wealth, it welcomed many foreigners not only for its valuable resources but also for its education. It flourished in many aspects and influenced many countries and regions of Africa in the fields of architecture, art and faith. The western state of Mali contributed so much to its time, as we continue to learn more about the Mali Empire, we can only hope that we unravel more mysteries about the glorious city of Timbuktu..