In English, Timbuktu is used idiomatically to mean any extremely distant, remote, or, at times, imagined place, often referred to as "the most distant place imaginable" or simply somewhere "very far away indeed". It is a real city in northern Mali on the Niger River. Historically, the name is believed to derive from a Tuareg woman named Tin Bouctou, meaning "[the one having a] lump" or referring to "the place of Timbouctou".
What does “From here to Timbuktu mean”? We essentially use this phrase to denote somewhere very far away. It is used to mean a journey we really don't want to do, such as “ I'm not going from here to Timbuktu to pick up your things”.
In the 1890s Timbuktu was formally incorporated into the French colony of Sudan, remaining under French control until the colony became the independent nation of Mali in 1960. Today, the population of Timbuktu has substantially decreased since its estimated peak of 100,000 people in the medieval period.
Timbuktu is a city in the country of Mali in western Africa. People sometimes use the word Timbuktu to mean a place that is far away and hard to get to.
According to one tradition, Timbuktu was named for an old woman left to oversee the camp while the Tuareg roamed the Sahara. Her name (variously given as Tomboutou, Timbuktu, or Buctoo) meant “mother with a large navel,” possibly describing an umbilical hernia or other such physical malady.
The Songhay language is spoken in Mali (W. Africa) chiefly in two dialect groups, Gao and Timbuktu-Djenne. (Better-known and numerically larger Songhay dialects are spoken in neighboring Niger.)
The West Africa UN subregion includes the following countries:Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo .
The University of Timbuktu is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious universities. Technically made up of three mosques, it is known for its significant contributions to Islamic culture and for providing texts that inform our understanding of the history and culture of the time period.
In which country would you be if you were in Timbuktu?
Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600).
It was a city famous for the education of important scholars whose reputations were pan-Islamic. Timbuktu's most famous and long lasting contribution to Islamic–and world–civilization is its scholarship and the books that were written and copied there beginning from at least the 14th century.
It is argued that Timbuktu's decline was neither an accident nor the result of inevitable natural conditions. Timbuktu's decay was the product of historical and social forces. Specifically, it is argued that Timbuktu lost power and prestige because its market decayed.
Timbuktu is a prominent example of a city with a Muslim religious heritage, which has inherited hospitality and tolerance based on the principles of Islam.
Depending on your age, these places were well known. Timbuktu is a city in Mali...which is in west Africa...had to google it! "The phrase “from here to Timbuktu,” is commonly used to describe some remote, hard-to-reach mythical place, but never a real destination that one could actually visit."
He arrived in Timbuktu circa 1510 at the city's apex. According to Shankar, Africanus described it as "a splendidly laid out city, a city where Muslims would feel comfortable not only trading but where ... immigrants might want to settle."
Liberia was the first African republic to gain independence and is Africa's oldest continuously independent country. Ethiopia was never colonized, but endured an Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941. Both Liberia and Ethiopia were spared from the European colonial Scramble for Africa.
Khoisan. Last but not least is the Khoisan family with between 40 - 70 members. Believed to be the oldest of the four language families, it is the smallest of the four and is found mainly in Southern Africa. Learn more about the Khoisan language family on Ethnologue.
Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about 8 miles (13 km) north of the Niger River.
