Islamic militants destroy ancient manuscripts
- From: AP
- January 30, 2013
RETREATING Islamic extremists in the fabled city of Timbuktu have burnt priceless ancient manuscripts as French troops advance.
Timbuktu, a city of mud-walled buildings and 50,000 people in the North African nation of Mali, was for centuries a seat of Islamic learning and a major trading center along the North African caravan routes that carried slaves, gold and salt.
Timbuktu is a UN-designated World Heritage Site.
In Europe, legend had it that it was a city of gold. Today, its name is synonymous to many with the ends of the earth.
It has been home to some 20,000 irreplaceable manuscripts, some dating to the 12th century. It was not immediately known how many were destroyed in the blaze that was set in recent days in an act of vengeance by the Islamists before they withdrew.