"This Citty was a place of great Merchandize, and in the Nycen Councell was ordayned to be one of the foure Patriarchall seas; the other three are Antiochia, Jerusalem, and Constantinople. Heere in Alexandria was that famous Library which Ptolomeus Philadelphus filled with 700000. volumes: It was he that also caused the 72. Interpreters, to translate the Bible: Over against Alexandria, is the little Ile Pharos, in the which for the commodity of Saylers the aforesaid King builded a watch-towre of white Marble; being of so marvellous a height, that it was accounted one of the seven wonders of the world: the other six, being the Pyramides, the Tombe Mausolaea, which Helicarnassus Queene of Caria caused build in honour of her Husband: the Temple of Ephesus, the Wals of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Statue of Jupiter Olympicus at Elis in Greece, which was made by Phidias, an excellent worke-master in Gold and Ivory, being in height 60. Cubites."

"The main merit of the school of Alexandria is that it created theological science, granting Christian citizenship to philosophy and building a solid Christian metaphysics. (p. 23)"

"Alexandria is the second Port in all Turky: It was of old a most renowned City, and was built by Alexander the great, but now is greatly decayed, as may appeare by the huge ruines therein: It hath two havens, the one whereof is strongly fortified with two Castles, which defend both it selfe and also Porto vecchio: The fields about the Towne are sandy, which ingender an infectious ayre, especially in the moneth of August, and is the reason why strangers fall into bloody fluxes and other heavy sicknesses. In my staying here, I was advised by a Ragusan Consul, to keepe my stomacke hot, to abstaine from eating of fruit, and to live soberly, with a temperate diet: The rule of which government, I strove diligently to observe, so did I also in all my travells prosecute the like course of a small diet, and was often too small against my will, by the meanes whereof (praised be God) I fell never sicke till my returne to France.This Citty is mightily impoverished since the Trading of Spices that were brought through the red Sea, to Ægypt, and so over Land to Alexandria & its Sea-port: Whence the Venetian dispersed them over all Christendome; but are now brought home by the backe-side of Affricke, by the Portugals, English, and Flemings, which maketh both Venice, and Alexandria fare the worse, for want of their former Trafficke, and commerce in these Southerne parts: whence Venice grew the mother nurse to all Europe for these Commodities, but now altogether spoyled thereof, and decayed by our Westerne Adventures, in a longer course for these Indian soyles."

"Expecting fifteene dayes heere in Alexandria for passage, great was the heate the French men and I indured, in so much that in the day time, we did nought but in a low roome, besprinckle the water upon our selves, and all the night lye on the top or platforme of the house, to have the ayre; ..."

"The Bride of the Mediterranean."

"The cradle of Christian metaphysics was Alexandria, Egypt. When Christianity was born, this city was the most important cultural centre of the Roman Empire, having taken the place that had previously been held by Athens. (p. 21)"

"At the school of Philo, Christian doctors from Alexandria learned to do philosophy and to develop Christian metaphysics, creating a synthesis between Greek philosophy and the philosophical potential of Christianity. (p. 22)"

"This City of Fez is situate upon the bodies and twice double devalling faces of two hills, like to Grenada in Andelosia in Spaine; the intervale, or low valley betweene both (through which the torride River of Marraheba runneth Southward) being the Center and chiefest place, is the most beautifull and populous part of the City; the situation of which, and of the whole, is just set under the Tropick of Cancer.Over which River, and in this bottome, there are three score and seaven Bridges of stone and Timber, each of them being a passage for open streetes on both sides. The intervayle consisteth of two miles in length, and halfe a mile broad; wherein, besides five Chereaffs or Market places, there are great Palaces, magnificke Mosquees, Great Colledges and Hospitalls, and a hundred Palatiat Tavernes, the worst whereof, may lodge a Monarchicke trayne: Most part of all which buildings, are three and foure stories high, adorned with large and open Windowes, long Galleries, spacious Chambers, and flat tectures or square platformes.The streetes being covered above, twixt these plaine-set Fabrickes, have large Lights cut through the tectur’d tops every where; in whose lower shoppes or Roomes are infinite Merchandize, and Ware of all sorts to bee sold.The people of both kindes are cloathed in long breeches and bare Ancles, with red or yellow shooes shod with Iron on the Heeles, and on the Toes with white Horne; and weare on their bodies long Robes of Linning or Dimmety, and silken Wast-coates of diverse Colours: The behaviour of the Vulgars being far more civill toward Strangers then at Constantinople; or else where in all Turkey.The Women here go unmasked abroad, wearing on their heads, broad, and round Capes, made of Straw or small Reedes, to shade their faces from the Sunne; and damnable Libidinous, beeing prepared both wayes to satisfie the lust of their Luxurious Villaines; neyther are they so strictly kept as the Turkish Women, marching where they please."

"Lagos is the mega city that never sleeps. Its hustle and bustle constantly bombard me with emotional and visual triggers that appeal to my sculptor’s gaze which is usually more attuned to balance and order. This chaos helps me redefine my aesthetic viewpoint of the city and its markets. I employ a range of representational strategies photographs and mixed materials to address how Lagos is perceived and described – Lagos as chaotic."

"This relative lack of external pressure, together with the rise of laissez-faire liberalism at home, caused many a commentator to argue that colonial acquisitions were unnecessary, being merely a set of “millstones” around the neck of the overburdened British taxpayer. Yet whatever the rhetoric of anti-imperialism within Britain, the fact was that the empire continued to grow, expanding (according to one calculation) at an average annual pace of about 100,000 square miles between 1815 and 1865. Some were strategical/commercial acquisitions, like Singapore, Aden, the Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Lagos; others were the consequence of land-hungry white settlers, moving across the South African veldt, the Canadian prairies, and the Australian outback—whose expansion usually provoked a native resistance that often had to be suppressed by troops from Britain or British India. And even when formal annexations were resisted by a home government perturbed at this growing list of new responsibilities, the “informal influence” of an expanding British society was felt from Uruguay to the Levant and from the Congo to the Yangtze. Compared with the sporadic colonizing efforts of the French and the more localized internal colonization by the Americans and the Russians, the British as imperialists were in a class of their own for most of the nineteenth century."

"Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification."

"The World Heritage properties situated in the northern parts of Mali have been subjected to destructive attacks since they were occupied by armed rebel groups in April this year [2012]. In Timbuktu, nine mausoleums have been desecrated, including two at the Mosque of Djingareyber, the most important mosque in the town."

"...the single most important collection [priceless manuscripts] from pre-colonial West Africa."

"It is a place where many, many things happened since the 12th Century. A place of knowledge... a place that tells us a lot about how great the African people were and continue to be. We need to save Timbuktu."

"The city is quite calm nowadays, even though residual criminal acts remain. On terrorist issues we bet on Serval. People rely on Serval for this kind of issue, much more than on the UN soldiers."

"“The Europeans came very late to Timbuktu," says Marie Rodet, lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. For centuries, they tried to reach the place because it was a mythological place of trade and Islamic scholars. It had been described in Arab manuscripts in the Middle Ages so they knew about the history but they never reached it because the population never allowed them."

"At its zenith in the middle of the 15th Century Timbuktu was known all over the world as a repository for all sorts of knowledge, including Arabic Islamic writing, science, maths and history. What is so important about Timbuktu's literary patrimony is that it is a challenge to Western ideas that Africa is a land of song and dance and oral tradition. It reveals a continent with an immensely rich literary and scientific heritage."

"The popular statement, “From here to Timbuktu”, conjures up images of remote, distant parts of the earth. But Timbuktu is in fact a real city in the west African country of Mali."

"The ancient city of Timbuktu had known a lot of conquest and occupation in the past but people of Timbuktu are tolerant and pacifist and practice a tolerant Islam and live with tolerance toward other religions. The economy of that city is essentially based on tourist activity but since kidnapping of westerners, touareg revolution and Islamist militant invasions in northern regions of Mali there is no more tourism in the region of Timbuktu."

"...he was very touched by the destruction of shrines and the burning of ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu. He ends his address by this quote “the united nations will always be with Mali.”"

"Since the liberation of the ancient city of Timbuktu by the French army “operation serval” important leaders visited the historic city all focus on development, rebuilding, and restoration of its ancient historic sites."

"...the city was occupied by touareg revolutionaries and Islamist militants in 2012. During the occupation ancient city of Timbuktu was ruled under sharia law. Innocent people endured all manner of inhuman abuses and humiliation. During the occupation Islamists destroyed the identity of the people of Timbuktu, which are shrines. Among these shrines there is shrine of the saint “Sidi Mahamoud”, classified shrines of UNESCO in the world."

"...with the donations of United Nations, PAM, UNICEF, and FAO people of Timbuktu are surviving because we were in an open sky prison. In the sector of school and administration we salute the efforts of the United Nations and other partners for the action they have been doing in Timbuktu. Within the framework of peace and security we thank the United Nations, above all populations are coming back to their homeland they also need assistance, actually we are in the process of reconciliation. Malian must be united as brothers and sisters and must walk hand by hand in order to sit on the table of brotherhood without racism or extremism. It’s important to notice [that we notable of] Timbuktu's great problems are the issues of children schooling but actually we are happy that they are going to school thanks to the support of partners. All the population of Timbuktu thank you for the opportunity you are giving to our children to study. We also hope that the United Nations, FAO, the Oummou Sangare foundation, UNICEF continue to work together with us to overcome our difficulties. Without peace and security there is no development in Mali. It’s for Malians to work hand by hand on the table of brotherhood and overcome their difficulties in order to develop their country no one can do that for them."

"Centres of learning at Walala, Djenna, and Timbuktu had a singular impact on African education in d medieval times."

"The University of Sankore one of the foremost intellectually inspired in the world...If the University of Sankore had not been destroyed; ...If the University of Sankore had survived the ravages of foreign invasions, the academic and cultural history of Africa might have been different from what it is today."

"I am happy to be in this town which has become the Geneva of Africa."