The location of the city of timbuktu has both advantages and drawbacks. list one positive and one negative of the city's location will give : d

An advantage can be that its position enables it to trade well with others. It's located at the edge of a desert so caravans with merchants commonly went through Timbuktu to recuperate which meant that goods and capital was flowing through the city. In addition, it is close by to the river which enables people to reach various parts of Africa if needed. 

A disadvantage can also be that it is close to the desert as such harsh terrain is not well suited for things like agriculture or similar things although there was agriculture in Timbuktu. In addition, during the height of the empire, the land was surrounded from all sides by different tribes or nations who often attacked the empire and took wealth from it, Timbuktu being often attacked.

Advantage:
difficult to invade.
Timbuktu is remote and therefore made it hard for invading armies to locate the city and conquer it. This increased the safety of the city.

Disadvantage:
isolated from trade.
The city's remoteness made it difficult to trade with other cities and empires. This meant the city had to be self-sufficient to be successful. The city of Timbuktu is located on the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Mali.