The historic city of Timbuktu is located in Mali.
Timbuktu stands near the southern edge of the Sahara, close to the Niger River’s inland delta. From the 13th to the 16th centuries, it became a major centre of trans-Saharan trade, linking West African gold-producing regions with North African markets that supplied salt and other goods.
The city was also famous for Islamic scholarship. Institutions and private libraries preserved thousands of manuscripts covering religion, law, astronomy, medicine, history, and literature. The Sankore Mosque and other historic buildings reflect Timbuktu’s intellectual and commercial importance.
Timbuktu became part of the Mali Empire and later the Songhai Empire. Its remote location helped give rise to the expression “from here to Timbuktu,” but the city was not mythical or imaginary. It is a real settlement with a long, documented history in present-day Mali.