Lost libraries of Timbuktu February 15, 2009
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Reviews , trackbackOn Thursday, I found another little gem on that treasure trove that justifies the licence fee, BBC4. It did exactly what TV ought to do, and showed me something I never imagined existed.
If you live in London Timbuktu is the back of beyond, but if your world is North West Africa, and your culture and trade look to the North African coast, Egypt, Arabia and west to Ghana, then Timbuktu is is the centre of it all. It’s on an important river linked by overland trading routes through the Sahara, and in the 15th century was a major centre of Islamic scholarship.
Over the years, manuscripts were written or brought here, and bookselling was a major industry. When European explorers came and during the disruptions of modern times, the locals sensibly hid them away from light-fingered collectors, so, rather than gracing the museums of Europe they are still kept in the hot but very dry climate of the region.
And there are thousands upon thousands of them, written in Arabic script but many languages. The look on a Malian conservator’s face as he talks about finding ancient writing in his own language says it all. This is such an important treasure, only just being opened up to scholars.
The BBC4 documentary ‘The Lost Libraries of Timbuktu’ should be available on iplayer for another week or so.
Comments»
I regret that so much is being said, written about Timbuktu in this article without much being said about the country it is currently and has always been part of. This ancient, fascinating part of the world was actually built by people of different backgrounds and origins. However, its culture, knowlegde, transcripts and extraordinary mosques are being protected and maintained by a nation little is known of: MALI.
I would like to challenge the authors at Camden Kiwi on what they are doing to also raise the profile of that beautiful country as they are to expose Timbuktu, which I am much grateful for.
So why don’t you find out more about Mali and its hidden treasures? There’s so much more to it than Timbuktu!
Thanks for reading the review, and I’m sorry I don’t know more about Mali. To be honest, and it’s slightly embarrassing, I was only vaguely aware that Timbuktu was in Mali before I saw this documentary. I can see I need educating!