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The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu

Page 27

by Joshua Hammer


  and threats to manuscripts, 154–55, 157, 162–63, 174–75

  Timbuktu home of, 59, 66, 138, 142, 151, 154, 159

  wives of, 59, 138, 161, 163, 185, 239

  Zouber’s meetings with, 9–10, 30–31, 41–42

  Haidara, Bouya, 210–11

  Haidara, Chérit Ousmane Mandani, 213

  Haidara, Ismail Diadjié, 62–63

  Haidara, Mohammed “Mamma,” 3–10

  childhood of, 5–6

  death of, 8

  education of, 6–7

  manuscript collection of, 3–4, 6–10, 48–49, 160

  and son’s childhood and adolescence, 3–5, 8, 157

  son’s prospecting work and, 30, 32–33, 44

  teaching career of, 3–4, 6

  Haiti, 92, 94

  Hamaha, Oumar Ould “Red Beard,” 172–74, 188, 232

  Hanafi, Mohammed Al, 32–34

  Harvard University, 51, 53, 55

  Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 52

  Hekmatyar, Gulbuddin, 74

  Hippocrates, 18, 27

  History and Description of Africa and of the Notable Things Therein Contained, The (Leo Africanus), 12

  Hollande, François, 187, 194–95, 217, 226–27

  Hotel Bouctou, 58–59, 67–68, 128

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 139–42, 152

  Hotel Kanaga, 215

  Hôtel La Maison, 131, 148, 152, 169, 238

  Houdas, Octave, 28

  Huddleston, Vicki, 90–98, 107–10

  AQIM and, 107, 109–10

  background of, 92, 94

  Belmokhtar and, 92, 95–97

  Ghali and, 96–98

  and international intervention and war, 90–93, 194, 196–97

  kidnappings and, 88

  Milovanovic and, 107–8

  physical appearance of, 94

  Wald and, 91–95, 107

  Human Rights Watch, 146–47, 150, 166–67, 169

  Hume, David, 51–52

  Hunwick, John O., 30–31

  Ibn Ali, Hussein, 166

  Ibn Batuta, 7, 28

  Ibn Khalilkan, 241–42

  Ibn Saud, Abdul Aziz Ibn Muhammed, 166–67

  Ikatel, 59

  Independent, The, 75

  International Criminal Court, 238

  Iraq, 10, 18, 49, 99, 103, 133, 165

  Islamists, Islam, 2, 15–21, 64, 66–69, 71–76, 99, 122–25, 165–76, 212–13, 215–17, 222, 241–42

  Abou Zeid and, 78–79, 102, 140–41, 143

  Ahmed Baba Institute and, 7–9, 66

  Ahmed Baba on, 23

  Algerian civil war and, 71, 74–75, 217

  and attacks on shrines and cemeteries, 179, 187

  Belmokhtar and, 73–74, 76

  draconian punishments and, 170–71

  Ghali and, 85–88, 96–97, 112–14, 122–24, 143, 238

  Haidara’s nephew’s arrest and, 173–74

  Haidara’s prospecting work and, 34–35, 38, 41, 46

  Huddleston and, 93

  and international intervention and war, 188, 196, 219, 224, 233, 238

  Jews and, 24

  jurisprudence and, 4, 6–7, 17–19, 23, 34–35, 46, 117

  kidnappings and, 80, 215–16, 233

  Leo Africanus and, 12

  in Mali, 68, 81, 89, 133, 149

  manuscript exhibits and, 61

  Mawloud festival and, 202–3

  and occupation of Gao, 149–50, 167, 169, 171

  and occupation of Konna, 191

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 142–43, 145–51, 155, 159–61, 165, 167–69, 173–76, 181, 185, 238

  open vs. inflexible, 24–25

  and overthrow of Touré, 133

  Qaddafi and, 120

  and rebel advances on Bamako, 193, 196

  rescuing manuscripts and, 159–61, 181, 185, 200–201

  sexuality and, 20

  Sunni Ali and, 15–16

  in Timbuktu, 17–19, 21, 24–26, 68–69, 156, 165, 212

  Wald and, 91–93

  Western stereotypes of, 46

  Zouber’s education and, 9–10

  Islamic Police:

  in Gao, 149–50, 169

  in Timbuktu, 1–2, 145–47, 149–50, 159–61, 168–69, 173–76, 181, 185, 200, 238

  Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, 72, 133

  Israel, 73, 82, 109

  Italy, 13, 103, 105

  Jane’s Terrorism and Security Monitor, 102

  Jazeera, Al, 103, 110, 186

  Jeune Afrique, 131

  Jews, 15, 63

  anti-Semitism and, 24–25, 212

  in Timbuktu, 23–25, 46, 212

  jihadis, jihad, 26–28, 46, 67, 71–76, 160, 239

  Abou Zeid and, 78–79, 96, 102, 104, 151–52, 171, 174, 176–77, 188–89, 196, 201, 207, 220, 222, 227

  and advances on Bamako, 196, 198

  Algeria and, 75, 78–79

  AQIM and, 2, 101–2, 105, 110–11, 122–24

  and attacks on shrines and cemeteries, 165–67, 179

  Belmokhtar and, 74–76, 90, 92, 96, 104, 112, 153, 171–72, 188–89, 220

  draconian punishments and, 171

  Droukdel and, 99–100

  El Para and, 80–81, 95–96, 107

  Ghali and, 87–88, 111, 122–24, 133, 168, 171, 188–89, 191–92, 201–2, 208, 220, 237

  Huddleston and, 92–93, 97, 107–8

  and international intervention and war, 90, 194–96, 198, 213, 215, 217–27, 232, 234, 238

  kidnappings and, 102, 105, 189, 232

  in Libya, 237

  Malian insurgency and, 89, 133, 135

  military operations in Konna of, 190–91

  and occupation of Gao, 148, 150, 153, 171–72

  and occupation of Konna, 191–92, 195–96

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 20, 139–40, 143–48, 151–52, 155, 157–58, 162–63, 165–67, 174–77, 178–80, 182, 185–86, 188–89, 200–202, 204, 207, 209, 214, 221

  rescuing manuscripts and, 158, 174–75, 178, 182, 192, 200–201, 211, 230

  retreat of, 201–2, 210, 220

  and threats to manuscripts, 27–28, 155, 157, 162, 210–11

  and unrest in Kidal, 234

  Wald and, 90, 95

  and war on musicians, 168

  Joffre, Joseph Césaire, 27, 219

  Juma Al-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage, 60, 115, 180

  Kaedi, Ahmed Ag, 168, 236

  Kagame, Paul, 214

  Kant, Immanuel, 52

  Kebede, Liya, 128

  Keïta, Ibrahim Boubacar, 232

  Khadijah, 43

  Khalil Ibn Ahmad, Al, 18

  Khartoum, 6

  Kidal, 101, 105, 110, 168, 172, 236, 239

  Ghali and, 81–82, 85, 97, 111, 123, 133, 170, 220

  violence and unrest in, 233–34

  King Abdulaziz University, 112

  Kitchener, Horatio Herbert, 6

  Konaré, Alpha, 64

  Konna, 215

  rebel occupation of, 191–92, 195–96

  rebel operations in, 189–91, 196

  rescuing manuscripts and, 182, 192

  Korans, Koran, 3–4, 16–17, 22, 26–27, 61–63, 78, 173

  Ahmed Baba on, 23

  in Ber, 65

  Haidara’s education and, 9

  Haidara’s father’s manuscript collection and, 4, 6

  Haidara’s prospecting work and, 39–40, 44

  manuscript exhibits and, 61, 66

  Mawloud festival and, 117, 203

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 143, 146–47, 150, 174

  physical appearance of, 160

  sexuality and, 20–21

  and war on musicians, 168

  Kuwait, 7, 10, 40, 49, 174

  Ladders of Ascent, The (Ahmed Baba), 23

  Laing, Alexander Gordon, 4, 35

  Lake Debo, 18, 205–6

  Lazarevic, Serge, 233

  Leggett, Christopher, 103

  Leo Africanus (Hassan Mohammed Al Wazzan
Al Zayati), 7, 12–14, 17, 25

  Léocour, Antoine de, 194

  Library of Congress, 61, 116

  Libya, 13, 37, 49, 76, 101

  Abou Zeid and, 78–79

  and attacks on shrines and cemeteries, 179

  bombing of, 133, 237

  French intervention in, 197

  Ghali and, 81–82

  manuscript acquisition attempts of, 49–51

  revolution in, 60, 119–22, 133

  terrorism and, 70–71

  Libya Hotel, 169–70

  Lindh, John Walker, 97

  Loiseau, Hervé Djamel, 97

  London Underground attacks, 98

  Maghili, Muhammed Al, 24, 212

  Mahdi, Ahmad Al Faqi Al, 238

  Maiga, Mohannan Sidi, 199

  Mali, 22, 56, 63–69, 71–73, 87–94, 116–18, 155–56, 158, 162–63, 240

  Abou Zeid and, 77, 80, 104

  AQIM and, 2, 73, 77, 101–3, 105, 107–8, 110–11, 123

  Belmokhtar and, 73, 76, 90, 104

  in colonial period, 4–7, 11, 27–28, 30, 33, 38, 58, 97, 194

  coup in, 132–33, 135, 155, 181

  draconian punishments and, 171

  drug trafficking and, 105–6, 110, 194

  El Para and, 87, 96, 107

  and Festival in the Desert, 57, 128–31

  and Festival on the Niger, 113, 234, 236

  Gates and, 51–52

  Ghali and, 81–84, 88, 96–97, 111–12, 122–23, 237

  Haidara’s prospecting work and, 31–32, 35, 38, 41–43, 117

  Huddleston and, 94, 96–97, 107–9

  international intervention and war in, 90–93, 187–88, 194–200, 202, 204, 206–7, 213–27, 229, 232–34, 236–39

  Islam in, 68, 81, 89, 133, 149

  kidnappings and, 80–81, 87–88, 102–3, 105, 111, 127–28, 130, 232

  languages spoken in, 4, 28, 38–39, 109, 134, 156, 158

  Libyan manuscript acquisition attempts and, 49–50

  Libyan revolution and, 120–21

  military of, 106–11, 125, 127–28, 130–33, 135–36, 138, 146, 152, 181–84, 189–90, 192–96, 201, 211, 215, 218, 230, 235

  northern, 15, 81, 83, 87, 91, 94, 96, 101, 104, 111, 122, 124, 128, 167–68, 174, 179, 182, 187–88, 193–94, 198, 213, 216, 219, 221, 226, 229, 232, 234–35

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 151, 187–88

  peacekeeping in, 232–35

  and rebel advances on Bamako, 193–94, 198, 201

  rebel insurgency in, 5–6, 50, 58–59, 65, 68, 72, 81, 83–84, 89, 96, 108–9, 112, 122–25, 132–39

  and rebel operations in Konna, 189–91

  rescuing manuscripts and, 174, 181–84, 201, 205, 211, 230

  tourism in, 58–59, 101–2, 130

  and unrest in Kidal, 234

  Wald and, 90–91, 93–94

  Zouber and, 9–10

  Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, 60–61, 154, 173

  building and rebuilding of, 54–56, 231

  creation of, 49–50, 53–55

  exhibitions from, 61, 116

  finances of, 49, 53–55, 60, 66, 115

  opening of, 56

  physical appearance of, 66

  press on, 115–16

  rescuing manuscripts of, 159–61, 181, 186

  Mantiply, Marshall, 106–7, 111, 132

  manuscripts:

  of Ahmed Baba, 23–26, 41

  Ahmed Baba Institute and, 7–8, 10–11, 49, 63–64, 66, 174–75, 209–10, 220

  ajami, 17

  in Ber, 65

  cataloguing of, 41, 49, 54, 60, 230–31

  in colonial period, 27–28

  copying of, 2, 4, 17–18, 21–22, 28, 37–38

  damage and destruction of, 26–27, 36, 38, 44, 54, 62, 65, 119, 157, 160–61, 178, 199, 204, 209–13, 220, 231

  digitizing of, 54, 60, 64, 115–16, 135, 154, 186

  evaluations of, 31–34, 37–40, 44, 116

  exhibitions of, 61, 66, 115–16, 154

  fragments of, 41, 63

  funding for, 60, 155, 157, 161, 163, 180–81, 192, 231–32, 240

  Gates’s documentary and, 53–54

  of Haidara, 159–60, 185, 230

  and Haidara’s childhood and adolescence, 3–4, 8

  of Haidara’s father, 3–4, 6–10, 48–49, 160

  Haidara’s nephew’s arrest and, 173

  hiding of, 2–3, 7–8, 11, 28–29, 35–36, 40, 54, 65

  illuminated, 1–2, 6, 63

  Jews and, 24

  Libyan attempts at acquisition of, 49–51

  losses of, 25–26, 54

  Mamma Haidara Library and, 49–50, 54–55, 61, 159–61, 181, 186

  Mawloud festival and, 202

  medieval Arabic and, 95

  and occupation of Konna, 192

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 138, 154–55, 157, 174–75, 178, 180, 204, 209–10, 214, 221

  physical appearance of, 4, 21–22, 33–34, 36, 38–39, 44, 62, 65, 159–60, 231, 240–41

  preservation of, 31, 37, 48, 54–55, 57–60, 62–64, 115–16, 154–55, 157, 186, 209, 231–32

  prospecting for, 10–11, 30–48, 117–18, 174–75

  provenances of, 31, 41, 45, 231

  purchases of, 33–34, 37–40

  reading of, 46, 117, 119, 241–42

  and rebel advances on Bamako, 193

  relocated to Bamako, 240–42

  rescuing of, 1–2, 157–63, 172–75, 178, 180–86, 188–89, 192–93, 198–201, 204–6, 211–12, 214, 226, 229–32, 242

  restoration and repair of, 38, 44–45, 60, 63, 115–16, 209, 211, 231, 241

  and retreat of rebels, 208, 210, 212–13

  returning them to Timbuktu, 219, 226, 231–32, 240, 242

  subject matter of, 2, 4, 17–21, 23, 28, 38, 41, 44, 46, 53, 61, 66, 155–56, 160, 209–10, 231, 241–42

  thefts of, 28, 157, 205–6

  threats to, 27–28, 154–57, 162–63, 174–75, 193, 198–99, 204, 208, 210–11

  Timbuktu market for, 13–14, 28

  trading for, 37–38, 44–45

  translations of, 28, 31, 116

  and visiting academics in Timbuktu, 17

  writing and collecting of, 3–4, 7–8, 17–18, 37–38, 53–54, 57–63, 66, 154–55, 160, 174, 202, 241–42

  Marrakesh, 10, 26, 41, 63

  Massina, 38, 46, 66, 118

  Mauritania, 14, 58, 83, 88, 106–7, 124, 149, 168, 220, 227

  AQIM and, 103, 109–10, 122

  kidnappings and, 103

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 147

  Mawloud festival, 117, 202–4, 213, 218

  Mbeki, Thabo, 64

  Mecca, 15–16, 24, 61, 67, 73, 112, 166

  Milovanovic, Gillian, 107–8, 111

  Mitterrand, François, 214

  Mohammed, Azima Ag Ali, 206–7

  Mohammed, Fida Ag, 64–65

  Mohammed, Prophet, 16–18, 24, 43, 67–68, 85, 117, 120, 165–66, 189

  Mawloud festival and, 202–3

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 148

  Mokeddem, Mohamed, 78

  Monde, Le, 90

  Mopti, 106, 127, 194, 200–201, 214–15

  and Festival in the Desert, 131

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 151, 179

  rescuing manuscripts and, 158, 206

  Morocco, 12–13, 16–17, 22–26, 28, 31, 37, 46, 59, 76, 142, 220

  Ahmed Baba’s capture and, 10, 25–26

  Jews and, 24

  Mamma Haidara Library and, 56

  Timbuktu besieged, invaded, and occupied by, 7, 10, 25–26, 54, 160, 165

  Moussaoui, Zacarias, 97

  Mubarak, Hosni, 119

  Mukham, The, 18

  Musa I, Emperor of Mali, 15, 95

  National Geographic, 118–19

  National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), 121

  Netherlands, 60, 155

  kidnappings and, 80, 126–30, 140, 152, 233

  rescuing manuscripts and, 180
–81

  New Republic, The, 58, 156

  Newsweek, 139

  New York Review of Books, The, 213

  New York Times, The, 195, 197

  Niafounké, 46, 57–58, 168

  Niger, 106, 121, 194, 221, 238

  AQIM and, 101–4, 122

  kidnappings and, 102–4, 232–33

  Nigeria, 5–6, 30–31, 54, 71, 96, 124, 153, 157, 160

  Niger River, 4–6, 10, 14–16, 18, 27, 57–58, 63–64, 67, 83–84, 94, 134, 156, 163, 167–69, 192, 195, 225, 239–40

  and Festival on the Niger, 113–14, 234–36, 239

  Gates’s documentary and, 52

  Haidara’s prospecting work and, 32–34, 36–37, 40–41, 46–47

  Malian insurgency and, 136–37

  and occupation of Gao, 148–49, 153, 167

  and occupation of Timbuktu, 137, 142–43, 189

  physical appearance of, 199–200, 204

  rescuing manuscripts and, 158, 182–83, 199–201, 204–5, 211, 214, 230

  Tuaregs’ migrations and, 14

  9/11, 68, 71, 89, 97, 100

  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 119, 121, 133, 197

  Northwestern University, 31

  Obama, Barack, 110, 194

  Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime (Kant), 52

  “Of National Characters” (Hume), 51–52

  Omdurman, 6

  On the Lawfulness of Tobacco Usage (Ahmed Baba), 23

  Oudot de Dainville, Raphaël, 221–26

  Pakistan, 68, 85–86, 98, 101, 139

  Belmokhtar and, 73–74

  Ghali and, 86

  Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), 82

  Paris Match, 78, 227

  Philosophy of History (Hegel), 52

  Plant, Robert, 128

  Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, 60, 155, 180, 240

  Qaddafi, Muammar Al, 49–51, 60, 70–71, 83, 119–22, 152, 239

  downfall of, 122, 124–25, 133, 197

  former villa of, 120, 152, 206–7

  Ghali and, 82

  grand canal of, 50, 169–70

  Libyan revolution and, 119–22

  Qaeda, Al, see Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

  Qatub, Mohammed, 112

  Qatub, Sayud, 112

  Qazwini, Al, 36

  Radio Azawad, 170, 201, 208

  Radio Communal Bouctou, 133–34, 143, 170, 201

  Ripley’s-Believe It or Not!, 51–52

  Rumsfeld, Donald, 71

  Rwanda, 194–95, 214

  Saifi, Amari, see El Para

  Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), 76–77, 79–80, 88, 90, 92, 99–101, 217

  Salafis, Salafism, 68, 73, 99, 168, 179, 217

  Ghali and, 86–87, 96, 113

  Sanagou, Amadou, 132

  Sangaré, Oumou, 129

  Sankoré, 3, 5, 8, 25, 42, 131, 154, 175–76, 209–10

  Sankoré, University of, 13, 23, 53

  Sankoré Mosque, 5, 25, 53, 59, 61–65, 118, 148, 202

  Sarkozy, Nicolas, 79, 110, 197

 

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