Timbuktu

American  

[tim-buhk-too, tim-buhk-too] / ˌtɪm bʌkˈtu, tɪmˈbʌk tu /

noun

1. French Tombouctou.  a town in central Mali, W Africa, near the Niger River.

2. any faraway place.

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Timbuktu British  

/ ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː /

noun

1. French name: Tombouctou.  a town in central Mali, on the River Niger: terminus of a trans-Saharan caravan route; a great Muslim centre (14th–16th centuries). Pop: 31 973 (1998)

2. any distant or outlandish place

   from here to Timbuktu

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Timbuktu ¹ Cultural  

1. A remote town in western Africa. Figuratively, it is a faraway and unknown place.

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Timbuktu ² Cultural  

1. City in central Mali, in western Africa, near the Niger River.

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Discover More

By the fourteenth century, it was famous for its gold trade.

Example Sentences

"I could have been born in Timbuktu and I'd still have been given a red and white scarf for Christmas. Arsenal is in my DNA."

From BBC

He served in a UN force there, and reportedly "showed bravery" in the face of a "complex attack" by militants in the northern Timbuktu region - famous for its centuries-old buildings - in 2018.

From BBC

“To all Black and brown people in Sweden — be extra vigilant now,” Jason Diakité, a Swedish rapper known as Timbuktu, wrote on Instagram.

From New York Times

French forces were welcomed as heroes in Mali in 2013 when they beat back Islamist groups that had taken over the north, including the fabled city of Timbuktu.

From Reuters

But for modern purposes, the most useful portion of the Timbuktu manuscripts — which also contain travel diaries, correspondence and sex tips — might be those on how to govern justly, corruption-busting techniques and conflict resolution.

From New York Times