Timbuktu
Timbuktu is one of the most famous ancient cities in Africa, and definitely the most well-known of the Muslim West African empires. During its heyday, it was the most important city in the Mali Empire for both commercial and Islamic reasons.
Timbuktu was founded around 1100 CE by Tuareg nomads who used to rest and water their animals at a nearby well. A slave woman named Buktu had set up a camp near this well to accommodate nomads and other travelers.
The word “Tin” means well in the Tuareg language, and the camp became known as Tin-Buktu; the well of Buktu. But over time, it came to be called Timbuktu.