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No European had returned alive from Timbuktu until French adventurer Ren\xe9 Caillie, who arrived in the \u2018City of Gold\u2019 on 20th April, 1828 after an arduous year-long journey. He was f\xeated by the Soci\xe9t\xe9 de G\xe9ographie in Paris, who awarded him 10,000 francs in recognition of his daring voyage - and his place in the history books was assured.\nBut Caillie was disappointed by what he had found. \u201cThe city presented, at first view, nothing but a mass of ill-looking houses, built of earth,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNothing was to be seen in all directions but immense plains of quicksand of a yellowish white colour ... all nature wore a dreary aspect."\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why a myth had grown up around the Malian city; reveal how Caillie got away with pretending to be Muslim; and dig up the Soci\xe9t\xe9\u2019s impressively exhaustive list of evidence required to prove he had been there\u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 Who, What, Why: Why do we know Timbuktu?\u2019 (BBC News, 2012): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17583772\n\u2022 \u2018Foreign Policy: Timbuktu, Lost City\u2019 (NPR, 2012): https://www.npr.org/2012/07/11/156602241/foreign-policy-timbuktu-lost-city\n\u2022 \u2018Timbuktu\u2019 (UNESCO, 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4V-QAzKQ3A\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices