http://timbuktutravel.net/HELPSAVE.htm

There are 700,000 manuscripts in Timbuktu. Their discovery has been called “The greatest archeological find since the Dead Sea scrolls.” Included in the cache are Moorish books with bug-riddled bindings, Islamic pamphlets covered with sand, ninth-century treatises baked by time, and scholarly pages a phase away from dust.

These literary remnants are mostly from Timbuktu’s glorious fifteenth century, tucked untidily between Africa’s Muslim encounter and the rancour of European exploration. They are the evidences of a proud, if not widely known, heritage.

Ignorance impeded their preservation over the centuries, and continued lack of awareness facilitated their slow disappearance – the loss of history’s book one page at a time. Were they housed together, collected in temperature-controlled rooms, and catalogued from Arabic to Tuareg to Zahara, these manuscripts would be esteemed one of the world’s bibliographic miracles. They are considered less a treasure only because of their scattered and deteriorating condition.

Such was the commerce of writing in Timbuktu that the city’s trade routes in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries became known as the Ink Road, a tribute to more than the manuscripts that made their way along them. Respected mirabouts (teachers) and scholars were regarded as “ambassadors of peace” for their acumen in negotiations and Koran-based dispute resolution, not only in Timbuktu but in Gao, on the River Niger, and in Djenné. With their scholarship and mediation skills, they were respected as the ideal adjudicators. Sought when arbitration was required, they travelled the routes, figuratively and literally, of parchment and peace.

When Askia the Great ruled Mali in 1468, after his Songhai defeated the Tuareg, his rule was built upon Timbuktu’s strengths in trade. The city then became the epicentre of learning and Islamic education. Arab scholars wrote and collected books and created large libraries in its universities and synagogues. The vast collections of writings were maintained, protected, and revered. They sustained a learned society and a community of understanding. Thus the phrase “Timbuktu trades in gold, salt, and ink.”

In Timbuktu’s golden age, sophisticated travellers would arrive with books known to be rare. Manuscript collecting in Timbuktu was popular during this period, and caravans were forcibly detained while their written works were copied by hand by students at the universities. Texts from distant universities were often borrowed, studied, and copied. Timbuktu’s libraries grew. At the same time, the city’s private libraries flourished with copies of written contracts, religious books, legal texts, and letters. The marginalia of the day recorded everything from wedding plans to the previous night’s shooting stars, providing a fascinating insight into the culture’s everyday concerns.

Seeing those manuscripts today causes dismay. Often they lie in the homes of those who cannot read, and who perhaps do not know of the treasures they possess. Or the documents are crammed into the forgotten corners of mud buildings. Individual manuscript pages have been sold to travellers for food, thus disappearing from their family, from Timbuktu, from the public domain.

The manuscripts of Timbuktu are a living testimony of the highly advanced and refined civilization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even before the European Renaissance, Timbuktu flourished as the greatest academic and commercial center in Africa. Great empires such as Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were proofs of the talents, creativity, and ingenuity of the African people. The University of Timbuktu produced both Black African scholars and leaders of the highest rank, character, and nobility.

is there language already known or must it be deciphered

Very interesting post. I have read a lot about it before. I really wanted to add to this the fact that the moorish muslims of western Africa, were very advanced and contributed to islamic state which was present in spain, and contributed scholars, manuscripts, science, maths, literature to the great libraries of Spain as the africans themselves had great knowledge previous to islam.

The africans of that time, did not worship multiple deities, as is thought, but infact most of africa before Islam, was monotheistic, and when islam came to region it was very similar to what they already believed and they adopted this religion of truth. In this process as islam teaches that knowledge is compulsory on every muslim man and women. The arabs that came to africa came form a rich civilisation in literature, science, etc from place like Iraq, which ha its own great libraries of its time, with ancient works translated from the greeks, indians, chinese, and then further advance upon the by the muslims themselves.

Its was these very moorish muslims, who had been to america by sea, before colombus and even settled in America with the native indians, and many indians converted to islam in America, as Colombus detailed in his own writings when he was guided by a muslim navigator to the americas rather than Australia, in an attempt to flee persecution at the hands of spanish inquisition etc. Colombus wrote, that when he got there, he saw the natives dress , act and pray like the moors. Meaning they had islamic attire, prayed like muslims etc, unfortunately we, know that most of the native indian were wiped out. However there are traces and documentation in america showing earlier tribes in America had converted to islam and muslims had settled in America.

However, back to Africa, the moorish muslims provided Europe with access to new information and new things to learn, this was then exported to spain, and the latter became an epicentre of learning for royal families, non muslims and muslims from around Europe, without the muslims, there would have been no renaissence.

It's nice to see this post, especially in light of the "Muslims burned the Library at Alexandria" blather that gets thrown around here so frequently.

Or at least it is up until the "Indians were really Muslim" bit starts up. No rose without its thorn and whatnot.

--Jaylemurph

Thats the first time I have heard that the muslims burnt the libraries of Alexandria, if they did, its a huge shame. Who ever did it, was wrong to do so. But historically muslims have always welcomed literature, libraries etc, afer all the arab muslims translated most of the literature from ancient times to arabic and other languages, making them accessible to the empire and the world.

Indian ancient findings, literature etc were also translated and worked upon, but muslims ruled india for over a 1000 yrs, and a huge number of native indians excepted islam and also contributed to world of science, hugely.

no it wasn't the muslims who did it,it was Christians who burnt the library at Alexandria.

It is not really known what became of the Library at Alexandria, but it is fairly well thought that the Christians (apparently) never burned it down.

It was (originally) destroyed (mostly) by Julius Caesar - by accident, many think.

The greatest destruction occurred during the taking of the city by Emperor Aurelian, during some kind of uprising.

Read something sometime.

Harte