Desert city in Mali (8)
I believe the answer is:
timbuktu
'desert city in mali' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for timbuktu that I've seen before include "Desert city in Mali" , "Mythical faraway place (in Africa?)" , "remote location" , "Malian desert town" , "Any distant or outlandish place (in Mali?)" .)