The city boasts an impressive array of ancient monuments and priceless artefacts, including its striking earthen mosques -- made from mud and wood -- and a vast trove of scholarly manuscripts held in public and private collections.

CNN: New fears for Timbuktu in Mali conflict

Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins are priceless as Stefan Vanderhoof and Scott Donlan, a gay couple from New York City.

CNN: graphic

In a city known for creating the make-believe, finding something real is priceless.

BBC: Ethnic Los Angeles