Tombouctou, 30 January 2013
The Guardian reports on 28 January 2013 Islamic rebels, who fled before the French troops in Tombouctou, might have destroyed another thousands historical manuscripts.
According to the Mayor of Tombouctou, they burnt down last Sunday several buildings, including the City Hall and two libraries housing exceptional cylinders, some dating from the 13th century. One of the two buildings might be the Ahmad Babu Institute, a new research centre dedicated to Saharian studies, equipped since 2009 for the study and conservation of fragile manuscripts.
These manuscripts had been conserved, hidden by families, for centuries. During the 1960s, between 60 and 80 private libraries had thus been established by the citizens of Tombouctou. These cylinders, written in Arabic and in African dialects, covered subjects as varied as poetry, medicine and music. They are a cornerstone of the Saharian cultural heritage.