Examines the history of the city of Timbuktu, or Tombouctou, from its time as a camping site for nomadic Tuaregs through its prominence in the sixteenth century to the current decline it faces.
Explores daily life in Paris, from the time of its early settlement in the seventh century B.C. through the Middle Ages up to two world wars and after.
Describes daily life in London from the time of the Roman invasion in A.D. 43, through medieval, Elizabethan, and Victorian times, on to the reign of Elizabeth II.
Explores daily life in the city of Cairo, from the time of its earliest settlement around 3000 B.C. through the Dynasty of Saladin and Ottoman Turkish rule up to modern times.