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“[This city]… had never been visited, and few are the cities of the world which in the present age, when men hurry about the earth, have not opened their gates to European adventure. The ancient metropolis of a once mighty race, the reported seat of Moslem learning, a walled city of stone houses, possessing its independent chief, its peculiar population, its unknown language, and its coinage, the emporium of the coffee trade, the headquarters of slavery, the birthplace of the Kat plant, and the great manufactory of cotton-cloths, amply, it appeared, deserved the trouble of exploration”
Thus wrote one of the great explorers of the Victorian age in 1856. It is much easier to visit in the modern era, but still “amply deserves the trouble of exploration”.
Regarded by many as one of the holiest cities of Islam, it houses 82 mosques within its walls, which are pierced by five gates, one of which is still referred to as the Burton gate in memory of the aforementioned explorer (main image).
A quaint local tradition is the feeding of wild spotted hyenas just outside the city walls after sunset ( above ). There are few hotels in this little visited city, but a stay in a traditional guesthouse with its ornately decorated seating area offers an authentic glimpse of the city and its people.
Can you name the city? Here’s a cryptic crossword clue:
A sun god in the human resources department? (5)
Sorry the competition has now closed.
Closing date 31st January 2022. Midnight London time.
The winner will be drawn from all the correct entries.