Timbuktu
Saharan trading post
Timbuktu is a city in Mali, West Africa, historically a center of Islamic scholarship and trans-Saharan trade.
In English, it has become shorthand for an extremely remote or faraway place: He lives out in Timbuktu somewhere.
The figurative use implies a destination so distant it might as well be the end of the earth.
West African country
- Niger RiverWest African watercourse
- BamakoMalian capital city
- TuaregSaharan Berber ethnic group
- SonghaiMedieval West African empire
Fulani · Sahel · West Africa · adobe · mudbrick · minaret · marketplace · Timbuctoo
Handwritten or typed originals
- trans-Saharan tradeCommerce crossing African desert
- gold tradeExchange of precious metal
- salt tradeCommerce in crystalline preservative
- caravansGroups traveling together
medieval · UNESCO · madrasah · libraries · ancient texts · trading post · caravan routes · empire
At great distance
- distantFar away or aloof
- inaccessibleCannot be reached
- isolatedSeparated from others
- middle of nowhereExtremely remote location
ends of the earth · godforsaken · outpost · unreachable · secluded · backwater · hinterland · beyond
Largest hot desert
- sandFine rock particles
- dunesWind-formed sand ridges
- camelHumped desert mammal
- caravanTraveling group with goods
nomad · oasis · arid · scorching · sunbaked · sandstorm · sirocco · drought
Of folklore, not fact
- fabledCelebrated in folklore
- storiedCelebrated in legend
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
El Dorado · hidden · lost city · golden · wondrous · romanticized · imagined · orientalist
Mali
West African country
- Niger RiverWest African watercourse
- BamakoMalian capital city
- TuaregSaharan Berber ethnic group
Songhai · Fulani · Sahel · West Africa · adobe · mudbrick · minaret · marketplace · Timbuctoo
manuscripts
Handwritten or typed originals
- trans-Saharan tradeCommerce crossing African desert
- gold tradeExchange of precious metal
- salt tradeCommerce in crystalline preservative
caravans · medieval · UNESCO · madrasah · libraries · ancient texts · trading post · caravan routes · empire · heritage
faraway
At great distance
- distantFar away or aloof
- inaccessibleCannot be reached
- isolatedSeparated from others
middle of nowhere · ends of the earth · godforsaken · outpost · unreachable · secluded · backwater · hinterland · beyond · edge of the world
Sahara
Largest hot desert
caravan · nomad · oasis · arid · scorching · sunbaked · sandstorm · sirocco · drought · mirage
mythical
Of folklore, not fact
mysterious · El Dorado · hidden · lost city · golden · wondrous · romanticized · imagined · orientalist · adventure
- Mali placesBamako, Nara, Tonka
- AfricaEgypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania
- Desert CitiesAbu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, Las Vegas
- heritage sitesWorld Heritage Site, historic landmarks, Machu Picchu, monument, cultural landmarks
- river citiesAmsterdam, Paris, London, Cairo, Vienna
- African citiesAccra, Abuja, Addis Ababa, Algiers, Cairo
Timbuktuhere
In this location
home · nearby · next door · down the street · close by
TimbuktuNew York City
America's largest city
London · Paris · Rome · Washington D.C. · Tokyo
Timbukturight here
At this location
home base · ground zero · home turf · the here and now · center stage