the (dim and) distant past
A time long ago in the past. It's easy to forget that, in the dim and distant past, these giant cities used to be nothing but fields and marshes. He's just a washed-up old drunk now, but he used to be a huge star in the distant past.
the (ˌdim and) ˌdistant ˈpast
a long time ago: stories from the distant past