Alexander Gordon Laing, a Scottish explorer, was actually the first European to reach Timbuktu in 1826 -- two years before Caillie. But he was murdered on the orders of a local chief on his way back, so his account never made it to Europe. The house where he stayed is marked with a plaque. A reminder that Timbuktu's mystique came at a real cost.
Laing's House
House where first European to reach Timbuktu stayed