Timbuktu can tell you that we are right at the heart of the world." Timbuktu is a sister city to the following cities: Timbuktu Timbuktu (), also spelled Tinbuktu, Timbuctoo and Timbuktoo (; ; Koyra Chiini: "Tumbutu"), is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali. It had a population of 54,453 in the 2009 census. Starting out as a seasonal settlement, Timbuktu became a permanent settlement early in the 12th century. After a shift in trading routes, Timbuktu flourished from
Timbuktu (1959 film) was originally meant to be shot on location in colour and widescreen based on an idea of Small and Frank Cavett with Stuart Heisler to direct. Later, there was a script done by Horace McCoy. At one stage, the film was going to be made by the team of Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse, who were making films for Small. In 1956 producer Edward Small registered several titles for the film, including: "East of Timbuktu", "West of Timbuktu", "North of Timbuktu", "South of Timbuktu" (a technique of titling films that William Witney described as "boxing the compass"), "The Road to