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Postcards from Timbuktu

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Postcards from Timbuktu

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As seen in

FYI We are not Amazon.com. Shipping times were already somewhat erratic before two coups d'etat in Mali and a global pandemic. You will not be able to track your package down to the meter (actually you won't be able to track it all) and we cannot specify arrival dates. That said, your card is on a proper adventure and will arrive soon - relatively speaking. 

Remember the last time you received something meaningful in the mail? Probably not.

Despite the marvel that is the modern postal system, we typically find our mailboxes overflowing with credit card offers and magazines we don't want. 

But what if I told you that you could receive (or send) a meaningful piece of mail from Timbuktu while also providing some work to some unemployed tourist guides?

Timbuktu?

Yes. Timbuktu is, in fact, a real place. It is located in northern Mali, on the edge of the Sahara Desert. It is a charming city of sandy streets, deep history (it was once a center of trade and Islamic learning, with one of the world's earliest universities) and a Sahelian mix of cultures. 

So, how does this work?

1. Choose one of the postcard designs at the bottom of this page. In addition to several images of Timbuktu, you can also pick a hand drawn postcard, designed by a student in Timbuktu, with additional proceeds going to their classroom. You can also upload your own image for a completely customized postcard. And, we even have a few other items you can order now, too! 

2. Write a custom message (in any language you want). A passive aggressive note directed towards your roommate will carry a lot more weight if it comes all the way from Timbuktu. So will a reminder to keep attacking that New Year's resolution. How about this: convince a friend you are in Timbuktu, and tell them to go to your house to water your plants. Birthday notes? Love letters? Get well soon? All possible. You can also have the guide write their own custom message -- simply write [please write your own message] in the custom message box. 

3. Enter the shipping address of the person who will receive the postcard and make the purchase for $10 (shipping is free). Each address requires a separate order at the moment, so if you want to send to multiple people you will need to order the cards one at a time. *We are working on finding a solution to this* 

4. Sit back and relax. Your postcard is coming. Its journey is long. It may take a couple weeks or a month or even longer to get to you or to whom you sent it. The actual card is born at a Bamako print shop. From there, it travels north for 24 hours and arrives in Timbuktu, where an unemployed former tourist guide will write your custom message before taking it to the Timbuktu post office (see pic below). Then it's a long trip back to Bamako, to Mali's central post office, where your postcard will begin its international journey, which could be thousands of miles. Want to know a bit more about your postcard's journey? Check this out. 

Timbuktu Post Office

5. Feel good about yourself. You just sent a meaningful piece of mail. Everyone loves meaningful mail. You also put some money into the Timbuktu economy and provided some work to a former tourist guide (there hasn't been tourism in Timbuktu since January 2012 due to a rebellion and jihadist occupation, a French military intervention and now, lingering insecurity).

READY TO SEND YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE A PIECE OF MAIL FROM TIMBUKTU? CHOOSE ONE OF THE ITEMS BELOW.


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0. Cross of Agadez

Postcards from Timbuktu

0. Cross of Agadez

Regular price $ 25

0. Custom Calligraphy from Timbuktu's last Master Calligrapher

Postcards from Timbuktu

0. Custom Calligraphy from Timbuktu's last Master Calligrapher

from $ 45

0. CUSTOM CALLIGRAPHY ON ANTIQUE PAPER (A5)

Postcards from Timbuktu

0. CUSTOM CALLIGRAPHY ON ANTIQUE PAPER (A5)

from $ 35

0. Custom Calligraphy Postcard

Postcards from Timbuktu

0. Custom Calligraphy Postcard

Regular price $ 23

0. Dogon Handbag

Postcards from Timbuktu

0. Dogon Handbag

Regular price $ 35

1. Dogon Indigo Fabric

Postcards from Timbuktu

1. Dogon Indigo Fabric

Regular price $ 55

1. Salt from the Sahara Desert

Postcards from Timbuktu

1. Salt from the Sahara Desert

Regular price $ 35

2. Djinguereber Mosque Interior

Postcards from Timbuktu

2. Djinguereber Mosque Interior

Regular price $ 10

2. Labadja Postcard with Recipe on the Back

Postcards from Timbuktu

2. Labadja Postcard with Recipe on the Back

Regular price $ 10

3. Camel Caravan

Postcards from Timbuktu

3. Camel Caravan

Regular price $ 10

4. 14th century Catalan Atlas with Timbuktu and Mansa Musa

Postcards from Timbuktu

4. 14th century Catalan Atlas with Timbuktu and Mansa Musa

Regular price $ 10

4. Camel in front of Mosque

Postcards from Timbuktu

4. Camel in front of Mosque

Regular price $ 10

4. Great Mosque of Djenne

Postcards from Timbuktu

4. Great Mosque of Djenne

Regular price $ 10

4. Map of Mali

Postcards from Timbuktu

4. Map of Mali

Regular price $ 10

4. Peace Monument

Postcards from Timbuktu

4. Peace Monument

Regular price $ 10

4. Vintage Timbuktu Painting

Postcards from Timbuktu

4. Vintage Timbuktu Painting

Regular price $ 14

5. Sankore Mosque

Postcards from Timbuktu

5. Sankore Mosque

Regular price $ 10

5. Vintage Postcard

Postcards from Timbuktu

5. Vintage Postcard

Regular price $ 10

6. Camel Caravan Closeup

Postcards from Timbuktu

6. Camel Caravan Closeup

Regular price $ 10

6. Thunderstorm on the Niger River

Postcards from Timbuktu

6. Thunderstorm on the Niger River

Regular price $ 10

7. Aerial View of Timbuktu

Postcards from Timbuktu

7. Aerial View of Timbuktu

Regular price $ 10

8. Camel Shepherd

Postcards from Timbuktu

8. Camel Shepherd

Regular price $ 10

9. Birthday Card

Postcards from Timbuktu

9. Birthday Card

Regular price $ 10

9. Inside the Djinguereber Mosque

Postcards from Timbuktu

9. Inside the Djinguereber Mosque

Regular price $ 10

9. Timbuktu Road Sign

Postcards from Timbuktu

9. Timbuktu Road Sign

Regular price $ 10

9. Vintage Sankore Mosque

Postcards from Timbuktu

9. Vintage Sankore Mosque

Regular price $ 10

A Hand drawn postcard

Postcards from Timbuktu

A Hand drawn postcard

Regular price $ 15

Hand Crafted Camel Leather Case

Postcards from Timbuktu

Hand Crafted Camel Leather Case

Regular price $ 25

Rectangular Hand Crafted Leather Case

Postcards from Timbuktu

Rectangular Hand Crafted Leather Case

Regular price $ 55

Upload your own Image Postcard

Postcards from Timbuktu

Upload your own Image Postcard

Regular price $ 15

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