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Collection Islamic Manuscripts from Mali

About this Collection

This online collection contains over 30 digitized manuscripts from the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library and the Library of Cheick Zayni Baye of Boujbeha, both located in Timbuktu, Mali. This collection was originally made available as Islamic Manuscripts from Mali, as part of the Global Gateways initiative.

This collection showcases the wide variety of subjects covered by the written traditions of Timbuktu, Mali, and West Africa. The manuscripts are written in various styles of the Arabic script that were developed in Timbuktu and the surrounding regions of Mali and West Africa, and have long been recognized by Malians as an important look into their cultural heritage. The manuscripts have been preserved, conserved, and made available to scholars by L’ Association Malienne de Recherche Action pour le Developpement et son Bureau d’Etude Associe (AMRAD/CEDREF) and the Institut de Hautes Etudes et de la Recherche Islamic–Ahmad Baba (Ahmad Baba Center), the latter of which was created by the Malian government. The Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library has also received funding, support, and recognition from various organizations and individuals, including the Mellon Foundation, the Al-Furqan Foundation of London, and Professor Henry Louis Gates of Harvard University.

This cooperative project between the Library of Congress and the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library began in December 2004. Dating from the 16th century, the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library is one of the largest libraries in Timbuktu.

For a look at the original online presentation and a full list of all items included from the Library of Congress, you can view Islamic Manuscripts from Mali in the “Individual Digital Collections” section of the Global Gateways Web Archive.