Founded in the11 th and12 th centuries to serve the caravans crossing the Sahara, these trading and religious centres became focal points of Islamic culture.

• 这些城镇建造于公元十一和十二世纪，是贸易和宗教的中心，为经过撒哈拉沙漠的商队提供服务，并逐渐发展成为伊斯兰文化的中心。