Timbuktu Manuscripts Project
Encyclopedia
The term Timbuktu Manuscripts applies to 700,000 medieval African documents, ranging from scholarly works to short letters, that have been preserved by private households in Timbuktu
. The manuscripts were passed down in Timbuktu families and are mostly in poor condition. Some of the manuscripts date back to the 13th century.
Medieval manuscripts are not thought of as very useful in Timbuktu. Many are being sold off. Time magazine related the account of an imam who picked up four of them for $50 each. In October 2008 one of the households was flooded, destroying 700 manuscripts.
The majority of Manuscripts are in Arabic or in African languages written in Arabic script or Africanized versions of the Arabic alphabets, collectively called "Ajami script". These manuscripts deal with a wide variety of subjects including Islam
, Astronomy
, Law
and even Contract
s.
founded an organization which included among its tasks preservation of the manuscripts, but it went unfunded until 1977. In 1998, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates visited Timbuktu for his PBS series Wonders of the African World. The series raised public and academic awareness of the manuscripts, which led to a pool of funding opening up.
The Timbuktu Manuscripts Project was a project of the University of Oslo
running from 2000 to 2007, the goal of which was to secure and preserve the manuscripts. It was funded by the government of Luxembourg
alongside with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
(NORAD), the Ford Foundation
, the Norwegian Council for Higher Education's Programme for Development Research and Education (NUFU), and the United States Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. It did not publish any results.
The Tombouctou Manuscripts Project is a separate project run by the University of Cape Town
. In a partnership with the government of South Africa
, this project is the first official cultural project of the New Partnership for Africa's Development
. It was founded in 2003 and is ongoing. They released a report on the project in 2008. As well as preserving the manuscripts, the Cape Town project also aims to make access to public and private libraries around Timbuktu more widely available. The project's online database is accessible to researchers only.
A movie about the project, The Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu, was released in 2009, with funding from the Ford Foundation
and Oppenheimer Memorial Trust
.
Thirty-two manuscripts from the area are available from the United States Library of Congress; a subset of these are also accessible from the United Nations' World Digital Library
website. It is unclear if these manuscripts are related to either of the projects described here.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
. The manuscripts were passed down in Timbuktu families and are mostly in poor condition. Some of the manuscripts date back to the 13th century.
Medieval manuscripts are not thought of as very useful in Timbuktu. Many are being sold off. Time magazine related the account of an imam who picked up four of them for $50 each. In October 2008 one of the households was flooded, destroying 700 manuscripts.
The majority of Manuscripts are in Arabic or in African languages written in Arabic script or Africanized versions of the Arabic alphabets, collectively called "Ajami script". These manuscripts deal with a wide variety of subjects including Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and even Contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
s.
Research
In 1970, UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
founded an organization which included among its tasks preservation of the manuscripts, but it went unfunded until 1977. In 1998, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates visited Timbuktu for his PBS series Wonders of the African World. The series raised public and academic awareness of the manuscripts, which led to a pool of funding opening up.
The Timbuktu Manuscripts Project was a project of the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
running from 2000 to 2007, the goal of which was to secure and preserve the manuscripts. It was funded by the government of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
alongside with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its task is to ensure effective foreign aid, with quality assurance and evaluation. NORAD both finances NGOs, and does its own research and projects. The current director general is...
(NORAD), the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the Norwegian Council for Higher Education's Programme for Development Research and Education (NUFU), and the United States Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. It did not publish any results.
The Tombouctou Manuscripts Project is a separate project run by the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
. In a partnership with the government of South Africa
Government of South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a nearly unique system that combines aspects of parliamentary and presidential systems. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa...
, this project is the first official cultural project of the New Partnership for Africa's Development
New Partnership for Africa's Development
The New Partnership for Africa's Development is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia...
. It was founded in 2003 and is ongoing. They released a report on the project in 2008. As well as preserving the manuscripts, the Cape Town project also aims to make access to public and private libraries around Timbuktu more widely available. The project's online database is accessible to researchers only.
Documentation
A 2008 book about Timbuktu contains a chapter with some discussions of a few of the texts.A movie about the project, The Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu, was released in 2009, with funding from the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
and Oppenheimer Memorial Trust
Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award
The Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award is awarded annually by the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. It is considered the top award for research on the African continent.-In Memory of Harry Oppenheimer:...
.
Thirty-two manuscripts from the area are available from the United States Library of Congress; a subset of these are also accessible from the United Nations' World Digital Library
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet, provide...
website. It is unclear if these manuscripts are related to either of the projects described here.
External links
- Tombouctou Manuscripts Project
- Timbuktu Manuscripts Project (abandoned University of Oslo website)
- UNESCO.org - The Timbuktu Manuscripts
Videos
- The Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggFucEBPm58
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxuZ7eEFKgo
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TFbEks_zFc&feature=related
- Video of Exhibition of the Timbuktu Manuscripts Project at the American Cultural Centre in Bamako
- Presentation at the Ahmed Baba Institute of Timbuktu on cataloging of arabic manuscripts - by Mohamed Maghraoui, History Dept, Mohamed V University - Rabat, Morocco
- Timbuktu:A Refuge for Scholarly and Righteous Folk - an essay by John O. Hunwick