As the International Museum of Muslim Cultures enters its sixth year of operation, this unique museum in the South has brought yet another world class exhibition to Jackson, Mississippi. Drawing from the success of the previous exhibit, Islamic Moorish Spain: Its Legacy to Europe and the West, the museum's newest exhibit The Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of the Written Word reveals West Africa's lost literate heritage. Opening in November 2006 to positive reviews from local and national media, this exhibit details the rich history of the great African Islamic empires.

Upon entering the museum doors, visitors are presented with displays that tell the story the ancient city of Timbuktu. Many visitors to the museum are surprised that Timbuktu is a real city located in the Republic of Mali, West Africa. In ancient tales of travel and lore, Timbuktu has represented a distant, mysterious place. But at the height of Timbuktu's glory, it was a wealthy center of trade and commerce and a sacred city of three Islamic empires - Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Timbuktu once controlled and produced two-thirds of the world's gold, and also dominated the global trade of salt.

While salt and gold were popular trade items back then, it was books that proved to be the most profitable. High-quality books were produced throughout present day Mali, written by the scholars and students of Timbuktu's universities and bound by artisans working in a sophisticated publishing industry. In ancient times, the universities and madrassas of Timbuktu had as many students as any modern day university. Students could earn a degree and study religion as well as science, Arabic, mathematics and philosophy. Timbuktu is also home to three famous mosques associated with these universities: The Djinguereber, the Sidi Yahya, and the Sankore mosques.

The IMMC exhibit details how Islam traveled from the Arabia peninsula to North Africa, and from there continuing its spread into West Africa. Special attention is given to Bilal Ibn Rabah (radiallahu anhu), the first African convert to Islam. Visitors will also learn about the First Migration of Muslims to the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia).

The highlight of the exhibit consists of ancient manuscripts that were recovered in Mali that are crucial to understanding African and Islamic history. These manuscripts, many of which are hundreds of years old, attest to the legacy of African Islamic scholarship. Most manuscripts are written in Arabic, but some are written in the local languages of Fulfulde, Soninke and Tamasheq. During the French colonial period of Mali's history, many Malians hid the manuscripts due to the fear of them being stolen by colonialists and sold to art and archeology collectors in France. Today, many of these same manuscripts are being preserved and archived in various private libraries throughout Mali.

The exhibit also details the decline of Timbuktu, as well as the resistance movements against colonial rule and the transatlantic slave trade. The famous mujahid El Hajj Umar Tal and Timbuktu scholar Ahmad Baba are featured. Visitors will learn that at least a third of the African slaves that were brought over to the Americas were Muslim, many of whom were scholars, students and nobleman. For example, Ibrahima Abdur-Rahman was a prince from Futa Djallon (Guinea) who was captured and sold into slavery in Mississippi. Omar ibn Said was an Islamic scholar from Futa Turo (Senegambia region) who was sold to slave owners in North Carolina. Mohammad Ali Ben Said, a Bornou native (Nigeria) was owned by many masters, but he learned nine languages and lived in five countries before arriving to the United States as a free man. He later served in the Union army during the Civil War and established schools for African-Americans in the South.

The Legacy of Timbuktu exhibit is making its way into academic circles, where a new trend of re-evaluation of African societies and civilization is taking place. Old age stereotypes have tended to depicted Africa and its people as primitive, illiterate, violent and lacking of any significant cultural, intellectual and artistic achievements. "When I was in school, we were taught that Africans didn't have a written culture," explains Okolo Rashid, the museum's executive director, as she recalls her days growing up as an African-American in Mississippi. "So imagine how important this exhibit is for us as African-Americans who may not be aware of this part of our ancestors' history."

Prior to the rediscovery of these hidden manuscripts, many scholars and professors taught their students that Africans had never developed a literate culture. Under the auspices of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., head of the African-American studies department at Harvard University, the Timbuktu Library Project was created to copy, restore and translate 50,000 of the recovered manuscripts. Dr. Gates recalls his school days, when his schoolbooks told him that Africans could not read or write. Most of African civilization was believed to be a solely oral tradition. Years ago, while filming a PBS documentary on Africa, Dr. Gates was given the opportunity to view the manuscripts. The experience was overwhelming. "It was one of the greatest moments of my life," said Dr. Gates. "I knew that the mind of the black world was locked in those trunks and when I held those books in my hands, tears rolled down my face."

One person who was responsible for unearthing and protecting these texts is Cheikh Abdel Kader Haidara, curator and heir to the Mamma Haidara Memorial Library in Timbuktu, Mali. Under his direction, this library is responsible for preserving, translating, and archiving Mali's lost literary treasures. The valued texts cover many standard topics of the day - science, mathematics, political science, and religion - but many also discuss such issues as women's rights, religious tolerance, the rights of minorities, and peaceful conflict resolution. Even today in the madrassas of Timbuktu, the book production techniques used to produce many of these ancient texts are still used today.

The Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of the Written Word breaks multiple stereotypes and introduces the visitors to an Islamic African society known for its tolerance, justice and emphasis on God-consciousness and education. Once again, the International Museum of Muslim Cultures has introduced a fascinating subject to the American public. The exhibition will be displayed until December 2007, and will subsequently travel throughout the United States to various museums.

People (academics and policymakers) continue to undermine the deep and sorry global impact of imperialist ambition. It has been better to box and undermine the true face of the world to present the civilizing face of what was actually a horrible age of western economic and political conquest (imperialism).

That most conflicts, divides and social fallouts are a result of this vile spread still doesn't seem to stop some countries from continuing in the same vain, under the same old guise of a civilizing force. If Iran is indeed the next stop for the USA, it is not only urgent to stand in the way of yet another convoluted stream of western violence, it is also the RIGHT thing to do.

I've heard some interesting facts. Barak Obama is a black man and also happens to be only the 4th black member of the senate in its entire history. This for a population that comprises 15 percent of the population. On the other hand, as many as ten percent of the senate are Jewish... this is really just symptomatic of the true face of America. i.e. An imperial nation with imperial standards. More and more factual observations are proving to me that the America of the present day is no different to the British and French of former days. We can't continue to tolerate a world order dictated by this society because it truly is rooted in the most horrible of world ideologies.

And consider the counter .. four women leaders of Muslim nation when the US hasn't even mustered a beige leader.

Dr. Gates recalls his school days, when his schoolbooks told him that Africans could not read or write.

Odd, I remember learning in high school that it was the West Africans who learned to read and write, because their Arab-Berber masters preferred to sit around repeating stories of their ancestors and left the legal and accounting and literary stuff to their slaves. In vain did I seek copies of documents from places like Timbuktu, Ouagadougou, and Nouakchott, save for a photocopy of a salt tablet.

I wish the Malians best of luck and Godspeed in preserving, translating, and disseminating their heritage.

Well, aside from the really off-topicness of the first comment (Iran, the USA and Mali..who would have guessed they were related??), I'm translating parts of the Qur'anic commentary by Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani, the founder of a very influential Sufi order in Sudan. I would love to get a first-hand look at some of these Timbuktu manuscripts. West African Islam, especially in the 17th-20th centuries, really is far too neglected considering how worthy some of thier writings were / are (to whomever cares to read them instead of Qutb and gang...)

Also, this Aramco World Magazine has plenty of well-taken pictures of these manscripts and some more info about them and thier peoples: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200306/mauritania.s.manuscripts.htm

nice article.The early "literary" tradition in West Africa actually existed as oral accounts of legendary figures/places often w/ imaginative themes or characteristics.Despite its oral basis,this tradition was/is still very rich in the topics it addresses.One of the best known of these is the epic of Sundiata Keita (c.1235)--legendary founder of Kingdom of Mali [aka Old Mali].Old Mali (which
grew itself in part by conquering Kingdom of Ghana--little rela8tn 2 present-day Ghana) was l8r overtaken by Songhay,whose borders expandedfurther than Mali.

Nonetheless, Timbuktu & Old Mali r fascin8g in their own right.In addition 2 plentiful gold, which Old Malian kings (esp Mansa Musa, c1312-1337) would actually take w/ him on annual pilgrimages 2 Mecca (in part to advertise his kingdom),Timbuktu hostd a huge scholarly library & famed learning institution (the university in Sankore).

The oral traditions servd 2 primary functions: to perserve cultural traditions & to recount the history of tribal/societal ancestors.The traditions survived through "griots"--storytellers--who would travel town to town.Prior to colonialism, griots were seen as 'gatekeepers' of the local culture & were thus held in high esteem.As time passed,griots passed down oral traditions to other generations of griots,& w/ea transmission slight modifications occurd.So its not uncommon 2 find multiple versions of oral traditions,
indeed even of Old Mali & Sundiata.Unfortuately,the position of griots today is releg8d mostly to travelg or street performers.

In light of the above, i am fascin8d 2 read about written tradition hailing from ancient Mali. I would guess that the recoverd written manuscripts could actually be reminants of Sankore!

Fantastic! They discovered one of Averroës lost texts! Thanks for the link, OmarG!

Solomon2,

I doubt you "... remember learning in high school that it was the West Africans who learned to read and write, because their Arab-Berber masters preferred to sit around repeating stories of their ancestors and left the legal and accounting and literary stuff to their slaves. "

If you did, you and your fellow haters made up history as you went along.

RJ, I think Motazz's commentary cleared things up some. The literary tradition in West Africa is oral. The educated slaves, then, were the ones tasked with writing it down.

Of course, I'm reaching back in memory over two decades here, and much of my references at the time were in French, and I suspect were based on accounts written by slaves or ex-slaves themselves. I distinctly remember one reference stating that when Mauritania was colonized, the masters sent the slaves to learn the colonial's language and customs, because for the masters to do so would be beneath their station. As a result, when Mauritania became independent, the educated slave class was in the best position to take the reigns of power from the colonial government.

How close this was to the actual situation I don't know. Why invent hate when ignorance and stupidity are a sufficient explanation?

To give you an idea of why Averroës is so important, both Christian and Jewish philosophers built upon his work, which first involved commentaries on Aristotle, but grew into a doctrine that a proposition may be philosophically true but religiously or morally false, which he then applied nearly as universally as Aristotle's writings did. Hence his works were major advances in philosophy. A century later Western philosophers held Averroës and Aristotle in equal esteem.

However, in Islam the fate of Averroës works was tied into the decline of twelfth-century Islamic Civilization as a whole by Durant [The Age of Faith, Chapter XIV, VIII (1950)]:

In 1194 the Emir Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, then at Seville, ordered the burning of all works by Averroës except a few on natural science; he forbade his subjects to study philosophy, and urged them to throw into a fire all books of philosophy wherever found. These instructions were eagerly carried out by the people, who resented attacks upon a faith that for most of them was the dearest solace of their harassed lives. About this time Ibn Habib was put to death for studying philosophy. After 1200 Islam shunned speculative thought. As political power declined in the Moslem world, it sought more and more the aid of the theologians and lawyers of orthodoxy. That aid was given, but in return for the suppression of independent thought. Even so, the aid did not suffice to save the state. In Spain the Christians advanced from city to city, until only Granada remained Moslem. In the East the Crusaders captured Jerusalem; and in 1258 the Mongols took and destroyed Baghdad.

The grammar text, then, must have been saved from al-Mansur's destruction order. Presumably, the Mauritanians could afford to do so because they were far away and honored learning and scholarship. Who knows what other treasures may be recovered in the near future, and their impact upon philosophies and relgions worldwide? This is great!

Solomon2,

You have managed to mix up two regions, Mali and Mauritania, and you have managed to mix up time periods.

The matter of fact is that African achievements, during the high school years (and beyond) of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr, were trivialized or ignored.