Unimpressive as it may seem, this is the early Songhay city that so impressed early travelers such as Ibn Batuta, Leo Africanus, and Mungo Park.

From Rene Caillie's Travels Through Central Africa to Timbuctoo (1830). Refer to the URL http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/africa.html to view other ancient and somewhat more recent maps of Africa.