During the 14th century Timbuktu rose to prominence in West Africa due to the trans-Saharan trade which in turn introduced Islam to the area. Its importance was acknowledged in Europe as can be seen in the famous Catalan Atlas drawn and written in 1375. Yet, it was in the next century when Timbuktu flourished, becoming an important center for Islamic scholarship producing thousands of manuscripts and engaging in a book trade with the Islamic world. That's pretty awesome if you ask me. Since then its greatness has obviously dwindled but not its ability to fascinate people.
Sadly and ironically, in July 2012 radical islamists (see: Northern Mali Conflict) invaded the city and began destroying historic sites, particularly mausoleums of ancient muslim saints. It was an event that didn't recieve much media attention in America as I recall it this past summer. The opposite has been true here in Europe, especially since the liberation of the city by French forces.
According to the article, days after the "jihadist invasion", the director of the Andalusian Library of Timbuktu fled the city taking with him a significant amount of the library's legacy and leaving the rest under the guidance of one of his chaufers. The radicals visited the library on several occasions with the intent of destroying a "Jewish library" (There are many manuscripts written in Hebrew among them). Fortunately, the library itself has survived. Only the main office has been ransacked.
Now, why is there an Andalusian library in Timbuktu? I did a little bit of research and apparently descendants of the Muslims and Jews who were expelled from Spain, particulary Andalusia, during the Reconquista settled in Timbuktu. Hundreds of years later one of them has opened a library with documents and manuscripts detailing his family's history in Spain and their adopted homeland: Africa.
Further information on the subject can be found on the webpage of the above article. You have to be able to read Spanish though ;) But you also have the rest of the internet at your disposal. ¡Hasta luego!
Below is a picture of the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu.
