Faith’s archivists
Catholic monks in Minnesota are helping to save a trove of Islamic treasures in Mali
THE secret evacuations began at night. Ancient books were packed in small metal shoe-lockers and loaded three or four to a car to reduce the danger to the driver and minimise possible losses. The manuscript-traffickers passed through the checkpoints of their Islamist occupiers on the journey south across the desert from Timbuktu to Bamako. Later, when that road was blocked, they transported their cargo down the Niger river by canoe.
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “Faith’s archivists”
From the December 19th 2015 edition
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