Antonio Malfante (?–1450) was a Genoese trader known for traveling to Africa on behalf of the Centurione Bank in 1447. In a letter written in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

from the Saharan oasis of Tuwat to a merchant in Genoa, Malfante reported on what he learned from an informant about the

trans-Saharan trade Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. The Sahara once had a very d ...

. He listed several 'states', including one called 'Geni' and describes the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mal ...

: "Through these lands flows a very large river, which at certain times of the year inundates all these lands. This river passes by the gates of Thambet (

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

).... There are many boats on it, by which they carry on trade".Antonio Malfante, ''Lettera Di Un Mercante Genovese'' (2008 reprint), Stanford University Library listing.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malfante, Antonio 1450 deaths 15th-century Genoese people 15th-century Italian writers 15th-century explorers of Africa 15th-century Italian businesspeople Year of birth uncertain Italian explorers Italian letter writers Medieval letter writers