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Timbuktu’s Scientific Manuscript Heritage: The Reopening of an Ancient Vista?
Abstract
Timbuktu’s intellectual heritage has attracted new-found interest after
the preservation of the city’s manuscripts was declared as the first cultural
project of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The initiative
created a space for researchers interested in studying the content of the
manuscripts. This article maps a brief history of Timbuktu and provides
some insight into its manuscript collections, before discussing the Timbuktu
scientific heritage in light of contemporary debates on the history of science
in Islamic societies. It is argued that the pre-modern Islamic legacy currently
being unearthed in Timbuktu emphasises the need for a clearer articulation
of the relationship between science and religion in Muslim societies.
the preservation of the city’s manuscripts was declared as the first cultural
project of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The initiative
created a space for researchers interested in studying the content of the
manuscripts. This article maps a brief history of Timbuktu and provides
some insight into its manuscript collections, before discussing the Timbuktu
scientific heritage in light of contemporary debates on the history of science
in Islamic societies. It is argued that the pre-modern Islamic legacy currently
being unearthed in Timbuktu emphasises the need for a clearer articulation
of the relationship between science and religion in Muslim societies.
