The Real Rebels of Mali: Historical Preservationists

BAMAKO, MALI - JULY 29 : "nMalian calligrapher Boubacar Sadeck, is seen at his house as he consults an ancient manuscript on July 29, 2013 in Bamako, Mali."nIn January 2012 a Tuareg rebellion began in Northern Mali, led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. In March, military officer Amadou Sanogo seized power in a coup d'état, citing Touré's failures in quelling the rebellion, and leading to sanctions and an embargo by the Economic Community of West African States. The MNLA quickly took control of the north, declaring independence as Azawad. However, Islamist groups including Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), who had helped the MNLA defeat the government, turned on the Tuareg and took control of the North with the goal of implementing sharia in Mali. On January 11, 2013, the French Armed Forces intervened at the request of Sanogo's government. On January 30, 2013 the coordinated advance of the French and Malian troops claimed to have retaken the last remaining Islamist stronghold of Kidal, which was also the last of three northern provincial capitals. But as Islamist rebels were retreating, they destroyed about four thousand of the city"u2019s historic manuscripts, which have been preserved for centuries in private households in Timbuktu. The collections include manuscripts about art, medicine, philosophy, and science of the late Abbasid Caliphate, as well as priceless copies of the Quran. The number of manuscripts in the collections has been estimated as high as 700,000. Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara, curator of one of the most important libraries of Timbuktu, a position handed down in his family for generations along with several people involved in preserving the manuscript organized the evacuation of about 300,000 manuscripts to Bamako before the fighters invaded Timbuktu. (Photo By Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images Reportage)