The Manuscripts of Timbuktu

Deep in the vast desert region of Mali in Africa lies the historical city of Timbuktu. For centuries it was a center for trade, where merchants came to buy and sell goods such as salt and gold. Timbuktu also emerged as a center for religion and learning: prior to the colonization of much of Africa, the city was a fountain of knowledge in the fields of physics, astrology, and technology, and almost the entire population could read and write. In particular, the writings of the scholar Ahmed Baba (1556-1627) are evidence of an Africa that was developed before Europeans ever set foot on the continent. In The Manuscripts of Timbuktu, historians, imams and experts on the centuries-old Timbuktu manuscripts tell the fascinating tale of this African city, each from the perspective of their respective specialist field. Their stories are interspersed with dramatizations of life as it must have been all those centuries ago. Shots of present-day Timbuktu, the magnificent desert plains that surround the city, and the World Heritage-listed mosques all reinforce the sense of magic about this special place. Nowadays, the antique manuscripts that are this city's heritage are carefully preserved in libraries -- or in treasure chests in ordinary households. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)