From its earliest days, the legend of the New Jerusalem across the desert - called Timbuktu, was fed from a mix of misinformation, credulity, and the European greed for gold.
Timbuktu lay at the southern end of the caravan routes to Morocco and Libya, exaggerated reports of its wealth that were carried across the desert were easily passed to Europe.
It helped that the place had such a resonant name, an unforgettable slogan that "catches the ear and conveys images of wonder.
The Book smugglers of Timbuktu, by Charlie English.
The "Timbuktu of the mind " overpowered the little known reality of the place, and deflating it was not an inviting task.