Later manuscript seizure by French colonialists and Jihadi movements in the mid 19th century drove these cultural works further underground (Hammer 2016b). Haidara (2010) believes that events like this one encouraged the people of Mali to hide their manuscripts, which in turn convinced Europeans who visited in later centuries that these texts simply did not exist (p. However, this Golden Age was not to last, and an invasion by Morocco in 1590 drove many manuscripts underground. The rediscovery of these manuscripts pushes back against a western tradition that believes that there was no history in Africa before colonialism by showing a thriving book trade and a lively and largely open and tolerant discourse on all manner of subjects. According to the country’s ambassador in 2003, most of the world today perceives Mali as a poor African nation, but the manuscripts show that they are a country rich in cultural resources (Haidara 2003). Together, they help create a picture of a city that, for it’s time, was tolerant of many different people and viewpoints including more progressive texts on sex and women’s rights. The manuscripts were written on a huge variety of subjects encompassing everything from religious texts to medicine, science, magic, law, and poetry. These texts were written largely in Arabic script, in Arabic as well as local languages. This colophon is a great help in cataloging the manuscripts and tracing their origins. At the back of copied books, scribes recorded their names as well as the name of the “proofreader, and vocalizer, a third craftsman who inked the ‘short vowel’ sounds” and often the patron as well (Hammer 2016a, p. Wealthy scholars amassed huge private libraries, encompassing thousands of volumes (Singleton 2004). Books were copied by hand at an extraordinary rate, scribes were “writing an average of 150 lines of calligraphy per day–receiving their compensation in gold nuggets or gold dust” (Hammer 2016a, p. Singleton (2004) writes that creating and importing books was a high priority at the time, and was an important way to display wealth (p. Visitors to the region in the medieval period like the famed writer Leo Africanus noted that manuscripts were the most highly valued goods in the city’s markets (Haidara 2003). For about two hundred years, from the late 14th to the end of the 16th century, Timbuktu had a scholarly Golden Age. Timbuktu’s literary heritage dates back centuries to the early modern period. By Unknown author – Library of Congress online exhibition : Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu, Public Domain, Through this, we can better understand that international assistance from the preservation community during a library emergency is best focused by understanding and adapting to local conditions and encouraging leadership from local stewards. This paper examines the effort to save these manuscripts on both a local and international level and places the event in its socio-historical context. The story of what happened to save the manuscripts in Timbuktu is dramatic and chronicles a human threat to cultural heritage beyond factors such as environmental conditions and pests. This spurred a daring plan to save the manuscripts by smuggling them out of the city. Jihadi fighters promised that the manuscripts would be safe under their regime, but the very fact that they had been mentioned at all was worrisome to librarians (Hammer 2016a). Jihadi fighters had seized the city of Timbuktu, along with territory that comprised two thirds of the country of Mali (Hammer 2016b). In 2012, a collection of manuscripts that had gained international attention for their aggregation and discovery gained attention again, this time in a much more negative way. After some initial research, I remembered a book that I had wanted to read when it came out a few years ago and never got around to called The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, and I decided this was a perfect time to read this book. For the class we were instructed to research a library disaster and the response to that disaster in an international setting. It’s basically presented here in its original state except for some images that I’ve added. Today I’m sharing a short paper I wrote for my preservation class on Timbuktu’s libraries. By Unknown author – EurAstro : Mission to Mali, Public Domain,
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