Bambuk

An area of alluvial gold fields in Guinea, near the headwaters of the Niger and Senegal Rivers. The gold, traded to trans-Saharan markets, contributed to the wealth of the empires of Ghana and Mali which had an intermediate position between Bambuk and the markets.

The gold-yielding area of Guinea, near the headwaters of the Niger and Senegal Rivers. Through long-distance trade, the metal obtained here provided much of the wealth of the empires of Ghana and Mali. Significantly, neither of these empires appears to have incorporated the Bambuk area; instead they exploited their intermediate position between Bambuk and the transSaharan gold markets. The Bambuk area awaits full archaeological investigation.