History of Timbuktu returning from a stay in the capital of the Mali Empire. Timbuktu was still relatively unimportant and Battuta quickly moved on to Gao. At the time both Timbuktu and Gao formed part of the Mali Empire. A century and a half later, in around 1510, Leo Africanus visited Timbuktu. He gave a description of the town in his "Descrittione dell'Africa" which was published in 1550. The original Italian was translated into a number of other languages and the book became widely known in Europe. The earliest surviving local documents are the 17th century chronicles, al-Sadi's "Tarikh al-Sudan" and Ibn al-Mukhtar's
Town & Country Village (Houston) Town & Country Village (Houston) Town & Country Village is an open-air shopping center in western Houston, Texas, United States, within the Memorial City district. The complex straddles the northbound frontage road of Beltway 8, north of Memorial Drive and south of CityCentre. From 1983 to 2004, Town & Country Village neighbored Town & Country Mall, an enclosed shopping mall which was located on the present-day CityCentre site. The development features over of retail space and a 10-story, office building. Town & Country Village is owned by Houston-area development firm Moody Rambin. The Original Town & Country Village was built