Download or read book The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu written by Joshua Hammer and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice** To save ancient Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven in this “fast-paced narrative that is…part intellectual history, part geopolitical tract, and part out-and-out thriller” (The Washington Post) from the author of The Falcon Thief. In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that were crumbling in the trunks of desert shepherds. His goal: preserve this crucial part of the world’s patrimony in a gorgeous library. But then Al Qaeda showed up at the door. “Part history, part scholarly adventure story, and part journalist survey…Joshua Hammer writes with verve and expertise” (The New York Times Book Review) about how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one of the world’s greatest smugglers by saving the texts from sure destruction. With bravery and patience, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali. His heroic heist “has all the elements of a classic adventure novel” (The Seattle Times), and is a reminder that ordinary citizens often do the most to protect the beauty of their culture. His the story is one of a man who, through extreme circumstances, discovered his higher calling and was changed forever by it.

Download or read book To the Moon and Timbuktu written by Nina Sovich and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2013 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documents the author's journeys through Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, discussing the inspiration for her travels, the women who adopted her into their ranks, and her discoveries about the region's forgotten areas and future promise.

Download or read book Morocco to Timbuktu written by Alice Morrison and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-05-07 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Book of the BBC2 Series Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure Timbuktu. A city of legends and myths hidden in the heart of Africa. It was once the richest city on earth. Its greatest king changed the route of the Niger just so his wife could have a bath. Alice Morrison follows the ancient, lost salt roads from the top of Morocco across the burning sands of the Sahara to find the fabled city itself. This book is a good old-fashioned adventure with death-defying donkeys, a severe case of gold fever and plenty of goat gizzards for dinner. It explores of one of the most dangerous routes in history which brought gold, salt and slaves across the Sahara and up to Europe. It is stuffed full of facts but never stuffy. It's also a peek behind the scenes at how a TV documentary is made and gives you an insiders' view of the process through the eyes of a very funny, first-time presenter. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll be an asset to any pub quiz history round by the end of it.

Download or read book Timbuktu written by Paul Auster and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meet Mr. Bones, the canine hero of Paul Auster's remarkable new novel, Timbuktu. Mr. Bones is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, the brilliant, troubled, and altogether original poet-saint from Brooklyn. Like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza before them, they sally forth on a last great adventure, heading for Baltimore, Maryland in search of Willy's high school teacher, Bea Swanson. Years have passed since Willy last saw his beloved mentor, who knew him in his previous incarnation as William Gurevitch, the son of Polish war refugees. But is Mrs. Swanson still alive? And if she isn't, what will prevent Willy from vanishing into that other world known as Timbuktu? Mr. Bones is our witness. Although he walks on four legs and cannot speak, he can think, and out of his thoughts Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in recent American fiction. By turns comic, poignant, and tragic, Timbuktu is above all a love story. Written with a scintillating verbal energy, it takes us into the heart of a singularly pure and passionate character, an unforgettable dog who has much to teach us about our own humanity.

Download or read book Sahara Overland written by Chris Scott and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether readers are traveling by 4WD or camel, this acclaimed guide covers all aspects Saharan and includes 10,000 miles of itineraries in Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, Mali, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, and Egypt.

Download or read book To Timbuktu for a Haircut written by Rick Antonson and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2013-08-03 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the fabled city of Timbuktu as his goal, author Rick Antonson began a month-long trek. His initial plan? To get a haircut. The second edition of this important book outlines the volatile political situations in Timbuktu following the spring 2012 military coup in Mali and the subsequent capture of the city by Islamic extremists.

Download or read book To Timbuktu written by Casey Scieszka and published by Roaring Brook. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Retells the story of the authors' travels around the world teaching English, describing their experiences with the different peoples and cultures of such countries as Morocco, China, and Mali.

Download or read book The Book Smugglers of Timbuktu written by Charlie English and published by William Collins. This book was released on 2018-05-17 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two tales of a city: The historical race to reach one of the world's most mythologized places, and the story of how a contemporary band of archivists and librarians, fighting to save its ancient manuscripts from destruction at the hands of al Qaeda, added another layer to the legend. To Westerners, the name "Timbuktu" long conjured a tantalising paradise, an African El Dorado where even the slaves wore gold. Beginning in the late eighteenth century, a series of explorers gripped by the fever for "discovery" tried repeatedly to reach the fabled city. But one expedition after another went disastrously awry, succumbing to attack, the climate, and disease. Timbuktu was rich in another way too. A medieval centre of learning, it was home to tens of thousands of ancient manuscripts, on subjects ranging from religion to poetry, law to history, pharmacology, and astronomy. When al-Qaeda-linked jihadists surged across Mali in 2012, threatening the existence of these precious documents, a remarkable thing happened: a team of librarians and archivists joined forces to spirit the manuscripts into hiding. Relying on extensive research and firsthand reporting, Charlie English expertly twines these two suspenseful strands into a fascinating account of one of the planet's extraordinary places, and the myths from which it has become inseparable

Download or read book The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu written by John Owen Hunwick and published by Thames and Hudson. This book was released on 2008-10-28 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The extraordinary manuscripts of Timbuktu: invaluable historical documents, objects of tremendous beauty, and a testament to a great center of learning and civilization. For centuries, trading caravans made epic journeys across the Saharan sands to reach the markets of the legendary city of Timbuktu, where they traded salt, gold, slaves, textiles—and books. By the mid-fifteenth century, Timbuktu had become a major center of Islamic literary culture and scholarship. The city's libraries were repositories of all the world's learning, housing not only works by Arab and Islamic writers but also volumes from the classical Greek and Roman worlds and studies by contemporary scholars. The astonishing manuscripts of Timbuktu form the lavish visual heart of this book. Beautifully graphic, occasionally decorated, these exquisite artifacts reveal great craftsmanship as well as learning. All were written in the Arabic script, but not all are in Arabic, for they also feature a range of local African languages. Aside from scholarly works, the surviving manuscripts include a wealth of correspondence between rulers, advisers, and merchants on subjects as various as taxation, commerce, marriage, divorce, adoption, breastfeeding, and prostitution, providing a vivid insight into the ordinary life and values of the day.

Download or read book Crossing the Sands written by Ariane Audouin-Dubreuil and published by . This book was released on 2007-02-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The History and Description of Africa written by Leo (Africanus) and published by . This book was released on 1896 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Down and Out in Patagonia Kamchatka and Timbuktu written by Gregory Frazier and published by Motorbooks International. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIVDown and Out in Patagonia, Kamchatka, and Timbuktu is the first autobiographical collection of the complete motorcycle journey of Dr. Gregory W. Frazier, one of the world’s single most well-traveled motorcyclists. /div

Download or read book Route 66 Still Kicks written by Rick Antonson and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2012-06-23 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the stories of one of Canada's most enthusiastic travellers explore the famous American highway that inspired the likes of Al Capone, Salvador Dali, Mickey Mantle, and the countless fans of this iconic American landmark.

Download or read book The Exploration of Africa written by Anne Hugon and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr Livingstone, I presume... Everyone knows Stanley's famous words. But what of the other great explorers of the mysterious interior of Africa? Burton, Speke, Grant, Baker, Kingsley: in the space of barely fifty years these extraordinary men and women travelled to the sources of the Nile and tracked the course of the Congo and Zambezi. Yet their achievements led to commercial exploitation and ruthless colonization. Here are physical horrors endured, euphoric success, and the dramatic consequences of a momentous meeting of cultures.

Download or read book Empires of Medieval West Africa written by David C. Conrad and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores empires of medieval west Africa.

Download or read book Mansa Musa and Timbuktu written by Charles River Editors and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-05-14 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "From the far reaches of the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River, the faithful approached the city of Mecca. All had the same objective to worship together at the most sacred shrine of Islam, the Kaaba in Mecca. One such traveler was Mansa Musa, Sultan of Mali in Western Africa. Mansa Musa had prepared carefully for the long journey he and his attendants would take. He was determined to travel not only for his own religious fulfillment but also for recruiting teachers and leaders so that his realms could learn more of the Prophet's teachings." - Mahmud Kati, Chronicle of the Seeker Recent research has revealed that the richest person of all time lived in the 14th century in West Africa and went by many names, including Kankan Musa Keita, Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara, Conqueror of Ghanata and the Lion of Mali II, but today he is usually referred to as Mansa Musa. Adjusting his wealth to modern values, he was worth about an estimated $400 billion as the Sultan of ancient Mali, which controlled the trade routes across the Sahara Desert. About 6,000 years ago, the ancient Sahara was a tropical jungle with lush grasslands and substantial rivers until it moved north of the Equator as a result of tectonic plate movements. The seismic activity changed the location of land and the composition of the atmosphere. The African Humid Period seems to have ended relatively quickly, taking a couple of thousand years before being replaced by a much drier climate, and this started a process of desertification that forced many animals and human inhabitants to the outer edges of the immense desert. There would have been passages through the area that vanished as the harsh climate inexorably clawed at the mountains and hills, turning them into the sand that obliterated all traces of their ever having been there. By about 600 BCE, the terrain and habitat had become much less hospitable, so much so that it was no longer possible to use horses and oxen to carry commodities. As a result, trading became difficult and sporadic and slowly disappeared. This all changed when camels were introduced to the Sahara, initially via Roman invaders and then with the Berber traders from Arabia moving across North Africa in search of gold and salt. As they reached the southern Sahel, they encountered the old established trading system and routes of the Garamantes, the people who handled the trade in and out of the Sahara from West Africa. The combination of the use of camels with the already re-established West African trade routes brought about rapid economic progress that resulted in the area supplying more than half the world's gold for more than 1,000 years, beginning around 400 CE. Of course, this timing coincided with the rise of global trade routes such as the Silk Road and the beginning of Europe's Age of Discovery. By the 12th century, it was believed that far to the east, beyond the lands controlled by the Muslim armies, lived a powerful Christian king named Prester John in the land of India. While he was a king, he was also a priest ("Prester" means Priest and was supposedly the only title he took). His kingdom was believed to be grand and contained many wonders. Marco Polo looked for Prester John, and the Crusaders wanted to reach out to Prester John. Portugal's Henry the Navigator sent his ships out with explicit instructions of what they should do if they met Prester John, and on his historic voyages, Columbus carried two books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, both of which have long passages on Prester John. The belief in the existence of fabled African kingdoms and kings ensured that real African kings were also shrouded in lore, and few would become as legendary as Mansa Musa.

Download or read book Timbuctoo the Mysterious written by Félix Dubois and published by . This book was released on 1897 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Special Envoy of Figaro, Felix Dubois, left Dakar in 1896 and traveled into Mali by train to the end of the line (just after Kayes), and then on foot and horseback to Bamako and in pinnace from Koulikoro to Timbuktu. He describes Bamako, Segou but extremely long Djenne and Timbuktu, focusing on economic and cultural activities, collecting manuscripts and bringing a unique iconography (including photos of Fort Segou, a plan and reconstruction of the old mosque Jenne already been lost and not rebuilt); fundamental evidence on Mali in the early hours of colonization. Dubois resumed (from North) this journey of 15 years later and thus engaged in an assessment of changes. The merit of Felix Jones is to have transcribed the path to that goal, in a masterly text drawn from the sources of the bush, heat and space. His style made great reporter of the late nineteenth century, teeming with anecdotes. With the text researched and documented, it earned him then to be crowned by the French Academy.