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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Timbuktu

2 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Timbuktu, Mali

Updated June 1, 2022
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Stories About Timbuktu

The Postcards from Timbuktu project promises mail from one of the most legendarily inaccessible cities in the world. The city’s reputation was mostly myth until the unrest of the last decade.

Timbuktu Is Just a Postcard Away

Years of political unrest have halted tourism in the Malian city, so local guides are bringing Timbuktu to the world—through the mail.
by Annie Risemberg
The riparian buffers flanking the Niger River in Timbuktu, Mali, appear in red.

Striking Satellite Images of Cities on the Brink

A fresh perspective on the fragility and resilience of our world.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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