The Malian military government on Monday started returning home the historic manuscripts of Timbuktu, which were spirited out of the city when it was occupied by al-Qaida-linked militants more than a decade ago.
Islamic radicals destroyed more than 4,000 manuscripts, with some dating back to the 13th century, after seizing Timbuktu in 2012, according to a United Nations expert mission. However, the majority of the documents were saved by the devotion of the Timbuktu library’s Malian custodians, who carried them out of the occupied city in rice sacks.
The first batch of the manuscripts was brought to Timbuktu by plane from the capital of Bamako, a move authorities said was necessary to protect them from humidity. This shipment consisted of more than 200 crates, weighing a substantial 5.5 tons, with officials stating that the remainder would be shipped in the coming days.
Diahara Touré, Timbuktu’s deputy mayor, said the famous documents are incredibly important to local people as they reflect their civilization and spiritual and intellectual heritage. A Malian official described them as a “legacy that bears witness to the intellectual greatness and crossroads of civilization” of the historic city of Timbuktu.
The Malian Minister of Higher Education, Bouréma Kansaye, said the government has a responsibility to protect, digitize, study, and promote these treasures for the future. These manuscripts, designated as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, cover a wide range of subjects from Islamic theology and jurisprudence to medicine and astronomy.
They stand as a powerful testimony to the rich cultural heritage of the Mali and Songhai empires, showing their intellectual and civilizational history. Despite the manuscripts’ return, the security situation in Mali remains extremely precarious, with analysts saying conditions have actually worsened over recent months.