The Lost Kingdoms of Africa

Beset by ethnic rebellion and sectarian violence, few areas of the world are as isolated and little travelled as the Sahel, the expanse of the badlands and semi-desert forming the southern coast of the Saharan sand sea. Nonetheless, Chad, northern Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Senigal once fostered some of Africa's wealthiest and most exotic kingdoms and empires, and to this day produce some of the continent's leading writers, musicians and artists. The predominantly Muslim faith of the region makes the Sahel a cultural as well as geographic designation. Timbuktu, the cities along the Niger River, and the Hausa emirates once thrived on trans-Saharan trade, and accepted Islam from Arabs who came as both merchants and conquerers. Jeffrey Taylor travels 2,500 miles across the Sahel by truck, taxi, bus and boat to present a personal account of one of Africa's least- known regions - that of Muslim Africa.