The hidden treasures of Timbuktu – Elizabeth Cox
The hidden treasures of Timbuktu – Elizabeth Cox
Dig into the ancient manuscripts, scrolls, and books of Timbuktu— and find out why they’ve been hidden for centuries.
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On the edge of the vast Sahara desert, citizens snuck out of the city of Timbuktu and took to the wilderness. They buried chests in the desert sand, hid them in caves, and sealed them in secret rooms. Inside these chests was a treasure more valuable than gold: the city’s ancient books. Why were they hiding these priceless manuscripts? Elizabeth Cox digs into the literary tradition of Timbuktu.
Lesson by Elizabeth Cox, directed by AIM Creative Studios.
Animator’s website: http://www.aimcreativestudios.com/
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What do they mean by "pre-colonial"? Timbuktu was being colonialized constantly.
Books don’t get enough love
Hmm…Sufi Jihadists? It should rather be Sunni 🙃
Why don’t they copy the manuscripts to a microsoft word doc smh
Man the Animation, and music score here was epic, feels like I’m watching a West African history anime, I’d be so down for that!
N199az up in timbuktu 😂
Am I the only one who thought Timbuktu was imaginary before watching this?
Just give them to modern scholars they’ll copy them down so that the are never lost.
Look how beautiful the arab world was
How is mathematics secular? Did they say they are?
I was wondering why all account of Musa come from Arab scholars but now I know, they burnt their library.
I am proud of my country even though its history has been ignored.🇲🇱🇲🇱😭😭
Timbuktu is a Moroccan city founded by the Almoravid dynasty, and all the books are moroccan
now its digitalized
Thank god the French sent those manuscripts to Europe.
why are the people of Timbuktu shown as white?
What can we do to preserve this priceless information? I have huge respect for the families who saved those books despite their extreme hardship. These heroes must be celebrated!! Also what happened to the books the French stole?
10 steps to civilization;
1) Ban religion
This looks like the inspiration of Ohara in one piece
i need help
sc
More valuable to gold? To whom? Gimme gold over those scrap books anytime of the year and place.
the animation is really good.
“What goddamn plan, Dutch? Tahiti?”
Not sure if this has been pointed out but most of the people in these (rather great) animations DO NOT resemble the majority people of Timbuktu. Representation matters. Let’s not degrade their history any further.
My value for books has risen even more
My respect to all those who wrote the books and saved the books.
History is lost but not forgotten
imagine where will the humanity today if these records and ancient knowledge were not destroyed by ignorance and stupidity of those in power specially the records in the library of alexandria. its so saddening to think of those lost history
it triad alright
I’m proud to be Touray from Gambia 🇬🇲
I am proud to be Malian.🇲🇱🇲🇱
The Mali Empire was *also* Muslim. Your misleading narration makes it seem like the Muslim Songhai Empire conquered it from the Non-Muslim Mali Empire, when actually both were Muslim.
Don’t believe in white history created for Africa,Asia and middle East all.
1 europe more spain way 2-egypt way
As usual, the sublime theft of culture and deception. This narrative does not depict the true color of the people of Timbuktu and Mali; they were and are, a dark-skinned race, not the inferred Mediterranean look seen here.
if only a group/non-profit would go around these villages, offering to scan/copy the books in exchange for helping the local people. So that we can regain the knowledge held in these books while also helping the local communities while not taking away their prized books.
how you get pass nubia and egypt gate? morroco..is africa 2 way in out ..
i di not like it
In both Arabic AND LOCAL LANGUAGES scribes wrote their texts. I don’t understand. I thought Africans had no written language.
So beautiful 🤩 to see this story in English about my country 🥰 and I’ve seen lot of people know about Mali 🇲🇱 also know the wealthiest man of all the time came from Mali 🇲🇱.
Sadly 🥲 there is still war and insecurity in Timbuktu 😔.
TED-Ed thank you for this video🙏🏾
We need to scan these books ASAP!
Didn’t they get rich by selling slaves?
Why did most of the characters look middle eastern and less African?
One of the heartbreaking histories
Why are ted ed vedioes that short?
remember, africa was rich, developed and beautiful. never let them show you the current decimated hungry africa and never let them tell you that africa was not beautiful
Wow😍 Informative and much entertaining. The graphics are at point!
Whenever history is attacked – run!
Nico Robin’s hometown 👐