11/30/2023 0 Comments Timbuktu manuscripts pdf![]() ![]() The reconstruction was carried out by the local corporation of traditional masons under the supervision of the Cultural Mission, the management office of the site, the National Directorate for Cultural Heritage, the mausoleums’ managers and the Management Committees of the mosques of Djingareyber, Sidi Yahia and Sankoré. A team of local and international UNESCO experts worked in cooperation with community and religious leaders, national and military authorities, as well as the local population responsible for the safekeeping of cultural heritage in Timbuktu. In the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the monuments, and upon request from the Malian government, UNESCO and France defined an action plan to rehabilitate the city’s damaged cultural heritage and ancient manuscripts. Reconstruction and restoration of the Timbuktu mausoleums In 2016, the International Criminal Court convicted Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi for directing the attacks that destroyed the monuments. An estimated 4,203 manuscripts from the Institute of Higher Islamic Studies and Research Ahmed Baba (IHERI-ABT) were burnt or stolen by armed groups. Attacks also targeted the Al Farouk monument, which was completely destroyed. In 2012, several buildings in Timbuktu, including 14 of the 16 mausoleums which form part of the World Heritage site, were destroyed within the context of armed conflict and civil unrest. The 2019 State of Conservation Report highlighted that the property is affected by deliberate destruction of heritage, lack of functioning management systems and war. The site was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger between 19, and once again in 2012, when the site was occupied by armed groups. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification, management issues, especially concerning the involvement of the local communities, and lack of resources for site management and maintenance. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. So the purpose of this presentation is fivefold: the first is to conceptualize the term 'Islamic Civilization' that intends to act the essay's theoretical frame the second is to briefly reflect upon the continent's social history south of the Sahara the third is to comment on the rich Islamic manuscript collections and other heritage items that contributed towards the making of this civilization continentally the fourth is to narrate in summarized form the status of Timbuktu as an educational centre and the fifth is to tabulate the challenges that the continent currently faces in its attempt to preserve and protect its heritage items such as manuscripts from those who wish to destroy them.Timbuktu was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1988 under criteria (ii), (iv) and (v) due to its outstanding universal value as an African intellectual and spiritual capital in the 15th and 16th centuries. All of these perceptibly demonstrate that one cannot sidestep the Muslim contribution to this continent's identity. And as one travels further south of the continent, one finds ample proof that point to the Muslims' presence. ![]() ![]() And when moving to East Africa's coastal regions one comes across numerous historical sites/towns such as Kilwa that are clearly reminiscent of Muslim influence. For example, when traveling through central Africa one finds many scholarly manuscripts that have yet to be edited and that cover different themes. These have since become part of Africa's continental heritage and most of them have fortunately been preserved by its numerous nation-states. ![]() Indeed when one scans the length and breath of the continent, one comes across various types of evidence that points to the fact that Muslims left behind their footprints in almost every sector of the continent. Though Khalid Diab, the Egyptian-Belgian journalist, significantly remarked that, " Islamic Civilization is so hard-wired into Europe's cultural, social and intellectual DNA that it would be impossible to expunge its influence " (Al-Jazeera ), one is of the view that Africa neatly fitted that profile since it – more than any other continent-tangibly reflect that. In fact, it was Ali Mazrui, the Africanist, who powerfully described this dimension when he highlighted the continent's triple heritage (of which Christianity and African Religious Tradition also form a part). Anyone acquainted with Africa's rich social history cannot deny the fact that Islam – as a dynamic religious tradition-has indeed been an integral part of its identity. ![]()
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