MALI
Mali
Timbuktu
Tinbuktu
Reactivating Timbuktu Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth fig.1 > aerial view of Timbuktu
The popular statement, “From here to Timbuktu.” conjures up images of remote, isolated and distant parts of this earth. Very few people are aware of this ancient city’s location, and fewer still ascribe any kind of civilization to this historic area. Timbuktu is located in the western African nation of Mali at the edge of the Sahara.1
ALGERIA
KIDAL TOMBOUCTOU Kidal
Lac Fagibine
MAURITANIA
er Nig
Tinbuktu r rive
MOPTI
Kayes
Mopti
KOULIKORO SEGOU
KAYES
Segou SENEGAL
fig.2 >
Koulikoro BAMAKO
BURKINA
GUINEA
Mali, Timbuktu and the Niger Rover
Sikasso
SIKASSO
COTE D'IVOIRE
GAO Gao
NIGER
The legendary city of Timbuktu is nowadays a really poor one where the inhabitants are not able to take enough profit of what they already have. As utopia is usually connecting to money we believe we can give a better life to the people by getting downto-earth and work and improve existing instruments.
< fig. 3 surroundings of Timbuktu
OLD CENTER COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT OUTSKIRTS
SECONDARY ROAD
MAIN ROAD
AIRPORT
fig.4 > Sahel-zone
Geography and Climate Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa and “comparable in size to South Africa or Peru”2 . It´s territory encompasses different climatic zones that range from subtropical in the South to arid in the North where the desert covers 65% of Mali´s surface.
fig.5 > satellite view of Mali
fig.6 > rainfall in Timbuktu
Timbuktu is located in the so called “Sahel”, some 15km north from the Niger River. The city receives negligible rainfall and droughts are frequent. In the dry season a hot harmattan haze from the North blows a lot of sand towards Timbuktu. In the rainy season from late June to early December the flooding of the Niger River is usual. The Niger River is Mali’s “lifeblood, a source of food, drinking water, irrigation, and transportation”3. The most important geographical accident, the inland delta of the Niger, allows agricultural activities even in the desert zone.
fig.7 > Niger River Basin
History The Tuareg Imashagan founded Timbuktu in the 11th century. Because of it´s unique geographical position, at the edge of the Sahara but near a river, Timbuktu became natural meeting point.
< fig. 8 Timbuktu a center for trade
< fig. 9 ethnic groups in Mali
Here they traded gold coming from the south, salt coming from the north and shared their knowledge. This “historical dynamism”4 let Timbuktu become a cultural and economic center. Additional, Timbuktu had 3 universities and 180 Quranic schools and became famous as a center of Islamic learning. Timbuktu prospered both intellectually and commercially until it was sacked by the Moroccan army in 1591. They “plundered the wealth of the city”4 , burned the libraries and killed many scholars. From 1893 till 1960, the date of the independence, Mali was a French colony.
French, 80% can speak Bambara, the market place language. About 90% of the Malians are Muslims, 1% are Christian, while the rest holds to indigenous beliefs. One of Mali’s most important mosques is the Sankoré mosque in Timbuktu.
Culture and Religion Mali’s population consists of numerous sub-Saharan ethnic groups, mostly with historical, cultural, linguistic, and religious commonalities. The Bambara are the largest single ethnic group that is part of the broader Mandé group (50% of Mali’s population). Though the official language is
Though Mali’s literature is less famous than music, it´s tradition is passed mainly by word of mouth, with jalis reciting or singing histories and stories known by heart. Rice and millet are the basis of the malian cuisine. The most popular sport is football, and some malian players are in european teams.
< fig. 10 Sankoré mosque
fig.11 > cotton harvest
fig.12 > salt mines
fig.13 > Malian woman
Population Approximately 12 million (annual growth rate 2.7%6) inhabitants live in Mali, especially in the South (90%), . Most of the population is rural (68% in 20025), and 5-10% are nomadic. The median age is 15.9 years and the life expectance is 49.5 years. Women give birth to many children, who have to face one of the world’s highest rates of infant mortality. Timbuktu has around 32.000 inhabitants, though it has had even 100.000 at its peak. Mali Germany 0-14 years 48.2% 13.9% 15-64 years 48.8% 66.3% Fertility rate 7.38 1.4 Birth rate 49.61/1000 8.2/1000 Death rate 16.51/1000 10.71/1000 Infant mortality 105.65/1000 4.08/1000 Read and write 46.4% 99%6
Economy Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. It´s economic structure centers on agriculture and fishing. In comparison with rice, millet, vegetables and livestock cotton is the main product and the “the country’s largest crop export” 7.
Their few natural resources are f. e. bauxite, marble, copper, diamonds, gold, gypsum, iron ore, limestone and salt.
Politics After the end of the single-party rule the Republic of Mali became a constitutional democracy inaugurated in 1992. The semipresidential constitution is “based on the French model”8 and provides for a separation of powers. Although a multiparty democracy is desired the constitution “prohibits parties based on ethnicity, religion, region, or gender”8.
Development Timbuktu has lost it´s mysticism over the years. It did not recover from the civil war with the Touareg and climate changes threatened the city and it´s habitants. Timbuktu´s population grows steady as a result of urbanization. Most of them are poor and unemployed because of the decreasing economy. Timbuktu gets little income out of tourism, especially american tourists visit the city and want to explore it. Most stay one day and are disappointed.
< fig. 14 Timbuktu´s gouvernorat
< fig. 15 International Airport Timbuktu
Off all former commodities only salt remaind. For 1.3 million euros the market of Yobou ber has been extended in 2003 with 25 shops, one butcher´s shop, sanitary facilities and office rooms.
< fig. 16 Mali´s President Amadou Toumani Touré
fig.17 > layers of the city
Layers of the city
Agriculture
Settlement
Infrastructure
Desert
< fig. 18 aerial view of Timbuktu
< fig. 19 snapshots from the city
0 km
2 km
centre to the outskirts
fig. 20 > aerial view of a square kilometer in Timbuktu
Inner City In this characteristic square kilometer you can recognize the different types of urban structure.
< fig. 21 Nolli Plan
Nolli Plan In the old center in the left corner the density is much higher with overlapped houses. The structure gets more ordered and then wider towards the ouskirts.
fig. 22 > typical ground plan
fig. 23 > aerial view of the old center in Timbuktu
fig. 24 > impression of the old center
Building typologies and morphologies Habitants in this open and flat landscape of Mali used to live in closed and compact settlements. Storages, plants and adobe walls with few entrances were arranged tight around the settlement, similar to a city wall. This precaution was to protect from enemies, because the buildings were visible even from a long distance. There was no possibility to take shelter or escape, just to defend behind these walls. The compact settlements also protect fertile ground for the cultivation of corn and vegetables. As ground water exists only punctual, short ways to the houses and areas under cultivation are a normal consequence. A climatic reason for “city wall”, the high density of buildings and the angled streets is to reduce hot and sandy winds. For shadowing high buildings, wide trees and translucent roofing (woven fabrics, screens, planted pergolas) are useful.
The typology of the buildings is a closed architecture with core zones (“reduit”) or inside courtyards. Most buildings are open to the shadowed courtyard for the needed ventilation (stack effect). Wells and plants in this courtyard ensure a better microclimate (temperature and humidity). Because of the low rainfall flat roofs are common. They are used as sleeping areas in cold nights and to dry fruits.
< fig. 25
To reduce solar radiation in buildings an orientation North-South and closed fronts to East and West is helpful. Bedrooms are placed in the East/South-East (heat release in the early evening), while living rooms and workspaces are placed in the West/NorthWest (heat release in the night).
roof with layers of wood
Building technologies and materials The original method of construction is determined by the lack of stones. Therefore the solid constructions are made of heavy and heat accumulating materials like abode and natural stone. The architecture is smooth because of the technical limits of adobe and wood and because it is handmade. Everyone forms his house individually and gives him expression, sensuality and sculptural quality. This is what characterizes the mosques in Timbuktu.
Because of the low tensile force adobe is armed with a matrix of rough wood or straw. The earth-clay plaster finish on the walls protects from rain and wind erosion. The plastered flat roofs consist of different layers of wood that cover the space like a dome. The bigger the space between the ceilings gets the more layers they have to use to span the space.
< fig. 26 handmade adobe bricks
< fig. 27 Djingareyber mosque
fig. 28 > electricity came with colonialization
Building typologies after Colonialization French colonization brought several changes in African life. New needs like the utilization of cars led to an orthogonal grid with large streets inspired from occident.
fig. 29 > aerial view of the colonial grid in Timbuktu
fig. 30 > typical street in the colonial area
fig. 31 > contemorary building in Timbuktu
The traditional way of builing could not satisfy their changed lifestyle. In former times they lived and worked outside and used their homes just for sleeping, cooking and for storing. But with electricity and water the inhabitants of Timbuku started to spend more time inside, f. e. to watch tv, and needed more space.
Building technologies and materials In the colonial architecture the houses got bigger, thick-walled, small windowed and red-tiled. The import of cheap and increasingly available wrought iron, cast iron, and corrugated metal roofing transformed the vernacular architecture in the 20th century. Prefabrication was pioneered in colonial architecture. Because of diurnal variations of temperature, the use of these materials did not long persist. All typologies were replaced in the mid 20th century by the international style using concrete and prefabricated blocks. Nowadays traditional master-builders were integrated into teams executing a mix between nationalist and African ideals.
Building typologies of Nomads In nomadic encampments the form and orientation is in response to the cardinal points, wind direction and social hierarchy. For example, all tents turn their back to high winds. They vary from black haimas to mat-covered armature tents. Building technologies and materials When nomads built up their tents they first place a wooden bed on the cleared ground. Then, they bury arches of wood in the ground and lash them together to a perimetrical structure. Tanned camel skins and/or woven mats cover the interior and exterior of the tents. Women have jural rights over the nomad house. Even in a divorce case it belongs to the woman. In Timbuktu nomad tents have a symbiotic relationship to the sendentary buildings.
< fig. 32 wooden matrix made of women
< fig. 33 nomad tents in Timbuktu
< fig. 34 nomadic encampment
fig. 35 > sand encroachment
Restauration In 1990 Timbuktu was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger due to the threat of desert sands. A programm was set up up preserve the site and, in 2005, it was taken off the list 9. Several actions were planned: - the restoration of the mosques and damaged houses - the removal of the sand in the vicinity of the mosques - the creation of buffer zones to protect the mosques from sand encroachment - the improvement of the drainage sytems of rainwater 10. he restauration of the ancient mosques was carried out by local craftmen using traditional practices10.
fig. 36 > restauration made by local craftsmen
Traditionally, the walls have been continuously raised in the past to compensate for sand encroachment. The picture above shows the difference between the height of drain-pipes in 1952 and today.
Damages “Mali faces numerous environmental challenges, including desertification, deforestation, soil erosion, drought, and inadequate supplies of potable water. < fig. 37 well in Timbuktu
< fig. 38 desertification
< fig. 39 sandstorm
Deforestation is an especially serious and growing problem. According to the Ministry of the Environment, Mali’s population consumes 6 million tons of wood per year for timber and fuel. To meet this demand, 400,000 hectares of tree cover are lost annually, virtually ensuring destruction of the country’s savanna woodlands”11.
< fig. 40 deforestation
fig.1 > aerial view of Timbuktu
? Vision Like almost everywhere in the world Timbuktu has to face climate changes. What does this mean exactly for the city? In former times the frequent floods from the Niger River reached the city in the rainy season. Nowadays the water got less but the city remained at the same place and got dryer. Now we have to find a way to approximate the city and the river. We can not move Timbuktu but we can bring the water again back to Timbuktu.
Another problem is that ,suddenly, it rains quiet a lot in August during the rainy season. As the soil is dry it can not absorbe all the water immediatly. The appreciated water causes more damages in this case. We need to find a solution to store this water. Additional, Timbuktu is at the southern edge of the Sahara so it has to face strong sand-laden winds from the north, the so called â&#x20AC;&#x153;harmattanâ&#x20AC;?. A wind-barrier in the North of Timbuktu could protect the city.
We want to use the wells (ground water), take more profit from a canal (Niger River) and improve the water reservoirs (rainwater). Our principle to work with water that exists “under“, “next to“ and “above“ Timbuktu means to not depend on one source! < fig. 41 aerial view of Timbuktu and the Niger River
Concept Looking at what we already have we will use the rebuilt canal that leads the Niger River to Timbuktu. Mali´s president inaugurated the “canal of hope“ in November 2007. fig. 42 > “canal of hope“
It directly leads water from the river up to Timbuktu. Having this water we can take advantage to create new solutions and urban spaces for the city. Instead of dry public places we want to arrange them to be comfortable, refreshed and shadowed by vegetation. This way we create microclimatic places to achieve special social points. fig. 43 > oasis microclimate
fig. 44 > aerodynamic edge of Timbuktu in the North
The lifestyle from the habitants is already characterized by their activities outside their houses. They use public ovens to bake their traditional bread, drink from public wells, children wash and play outside and they have city markets. Improving those places could mean to influence Timbuktu´s social life in a positive way. As we need shadow and water reservoirs we see a way to combine them. Instead of building high alienated water towers we want it to be more touchable. Rainwater could be stored in flat reservoirs that cover public places. With this solution anyone could use it at anytime for washing, irrigation or playing. The wind-barrier in the North of Timbuktu that should face the “harmattan” could be a vegetation-line redirecting the wind like a dynamic car does in a wind tunnel. We lead the canal around the city to irrigate this dense vegetation. To control the evaporation of the water the canal has to be narrow and “covered“ by vegetation.
< fig. 45
HARMATTAN
VEGETATION AS WIND-BARRIER
“OASIS”
WELLS
CANAL
WELLS
IRRIGATIN OF AGRICULTURAL AREAS
scheme of main ideas
Context One problem is to keep the water clean and another one is to create a circle of life. Looking for an answer we found the following interesting method. fig. 46 > “Water Hyacinths“
Water hyacinths To clean the water of the surrounding canal it passes through some lakes, similar to lagoons. Water Hyacithns will be planted there. “They are found in all places with hot climate”. The roots of these plants “function like a substrate for microbial organisms”12 that purify waste water after a few days working on it. Water Hyacinths grow so fast (double size in 2 weeks) that they can completely darken the surface and slow down the water movement. If they are taken out in time you can use as them as food for cattle, as compost or as a biomass source that can be converted into energy. After this natural treatment the water can be reused for several utilizations like irrigation.
The stored rainwater also has to be cleaned after 3 days. So we have to treat it in the reservoirs, preferentially with bacteriums.
< fig. 47 vegetation in the North of Timbuktu
< fig. 48 canal around the city
< fig. 49 more atmospheric quality in wide streets
fig. 50 > “water-roofs” in public places
fig. 51 > new character of main streets
quotes (1) http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/history.html (2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali > Geography (3) Mali Country Profile, p.5 (4) http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/history.html (5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali - Demographics (6) http://www.ipicture.de/daten/demographie_mali.html http://www.ipicture.de/daten/demographie_deutschland.html (7) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali - Economy (8) Mali Country Profile, p.16 (9) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu - Timbuktu today (10) Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage, p.75 (11) Mali Country Profile, p.5 (12) Waterscapes, p.112 text (1) Mali Country Profile http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Mali.pdf (2) L´architecture de Djenné; la pérennité d´un Patrimoine Mondial R. Bedaux, B Diaby et P. Maas, Editions Snoeck, Gand, 2003 (3) Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage Published in 2007 by UNESCO World Heritage Centre; http://whc.unesco.org (4) Klimagerechte Architektur in den afrikanischen Tropen Prof. Wolfgang Lauber, 2003; http://kluedo.ub.uni-kl.de/volltexte/2003/1566/pdf/Klimagerechte_Architektur_in_den_afrikanischen_Tropen.pdf (5) Waterscapes; El tratamiento de aguas residuales mediante sistemas vegetales Hélène Izembart, Bertrand Le Boudec; http://www.ggili.com/ficha_amp.cfm?idpublicacion=561&id=te ma&idtema=94 (6) Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (7) http://en.wikipedia.org (8) http://www.timbuktufoundation.org
(9) http://www.ipicture.de (10) http://www.history.com (11) http://www.transafrika.org (12) http://www.mali-nord.de images (fig. 1) http://saharanvibe.blogspot.com/search/label/Mali (fig. 2) self-drawn by Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth (fig. 3) self-drawn by Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth (fig. 4) http://www.cwu.edu/~geograph/geog101.html (fig. 5) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Mali_sat.png (fig. 6) http://de.allmetsat.com/klima/mali-burkina-faso.php?code=61223 (fig. 7) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Niger_river_map.PNG (fig. 8) http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2008/07/timbuktu.jpg (fig. 9) http://www.laender-lexikon.de/images/c/c3/Country_ethnics_99.gif (fig. 10) www.andygilham.com/mali.htm (fig. 11) http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/resources/photo_library/images.aspx (fig. 12) http://www.ecec.muhsd.k12.ca.us/room103/geography/Unit_04/unit4/images/saltmines.gif (fig. 13) http://www.one.org/images/mother_child.mali.jpg (fig. 14) http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4217505 (fig. 15) http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/5475783.jpg (fig. 16) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Toure-folklife2.jpg (fig. 17) self-drawn by Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth (fig. 18) Google Earth (fig. 19) Google Earth (fig. 20) Google Earth (fig. 21) self-drawn by Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth (fig. 22) L´architecture de Djenné; la pérennité d´un Patrimoine Mondial (fig. 23) Google Earth (fig. 24) http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10980943 (fig. 25) L´architecture de Djenné; la pérennité d´un Patrimoine Mondial (fig. 26) http://www.flickr.com/photos/a360/2833413852/
(fig. 27) http://picasaweb.google.com/HDPEASY/HCPExhibitionByNizar#5185504419534630018 (fig. 28) http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreapapitto/2497672865/ (fig. 29) Google Earth (fig. 30) http://www.flickr.com/photos/upyernoz/6916918/sizes/l/ (fig. 31) http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennab/25110095/ (fig. 32) http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/schoenauer/arch528/lect02/a47.jpg (fig. 33) http://www.homepage2.nifty.com/kaba/NaoyaInMali.html (fig. 34) http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/files/6008/1031960598119tombouctou500. jpg/19tombouctou500.jpg (fig. 35) Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage, p.74 (fig. 36) Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage, p.75 (fig. 37) http://saharanvibe.blogspot.com/search/label/Mali (fig. 38) http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajoh198/1051777100/ (fig. 39) http://www.panoramio.com/photo/434657 (fig. 40) http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/forwood/images/malipho7.jpg (fig. 41) self-drawn montage of a Google Earth picture (fig. 42) http://www.mali-nord.de/aktuell/2007/12.html (fig. 43) self-drawn by Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth (fig. 44) self-drawn montage of http://ah-may-olde.bmw.de/sync/showroom_rebrush/de/de/newvehicles/mseries/m3sedan/2007/allfacts/design/_shared/img/aerodynamic.jpg (fig. 45) self-drawn by Maria Emanuel Castro da Silva, Aritz Garcia de Cortacar, Agatha Toth (fig. 46) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Water_hyacinth.jpg (fig. 47) self-drawn montage (fig. 48) self-drawn montage of http://www.wind-drifter.com/Mali/TimbuktuMosque.jpg (fig. 49) self-drawn montage of http://www.flickr.com/photos/upyernoz/6916918/sizes/l/ (fig. 50) self-drawn montage of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdinphoenix/357003764/sizes/l/ (fig. 51) self-drawn montage