Kabara

Kabara was the river port serving Timbuktu, south of the city on a channel connected with the Niger. Its position joined river-borne provisions and merchandise to the commercial centre beyond the immediate riverbank. The Koriomé canal from Daï to Kabara is attributed to Sonni Ali, who captured Timbuktu in 1468. An additional waterway later extended toward the city, while seasonal flooding affected how far boats could travel.

Under Songhai rule around the end of the fifteenth century, Kabara had two distinct officials: the Balama commanded military affairs, while the Kabara-farma collected customs. Import duties formed an important part of Timbuktu's revenue. Leo Africanus, writing of the region in the early sixteenth century, described an unwalled port where merchants loaded goods for Djenné and Mali and where canoe crews arrived from different districts. He also recorded a royal lieutenant who heard local business, reducing the need for inhabitants to travel to Timbuktu. Kabara's importance thus lay in a combination of provisioning, transport, taxation and government, with its landing places supporting the larger city's commercial life.