Timbuktu's Lost Water System: The Ingenious Hydraulics of the Sahel

Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History · Jun 5, 2026 · 4m · transcript

Before the great libraries and Sankore University made Timbuktu famous, the city had to solve a more basic problem: water. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the network of wells, canals, and underground conduits that sustained a desert metropolis of 100,000 people. They uncover the role of the Songhai state in funding public works, the science of foggaras (underground channels), and the devastating impact of the Saadian invasion on Timbuktu's water infrastructure. Along the way, they meet Ibn Battuta's forgotten description of the city's wells, the hydraulic expertise of…