I came across this video taken last year by Judith Porter, on a short trip to Timbuktu. It was posted by Jerry (imgip) on YouTube and he has several other videos shot in the region.
In Timbuktu, the ancient Malian city nestled between the Niger River and the Sahara Desert, a new library and research institute is being built that will house more than 100,000 ancient manuscripts, representing the history of Africa.
Some of the manuscripts are 1000 years old and cover almost every conceivable subject, revealing a rich intellectual culture.
Timbuktu still takes more than two days to reach by a four-wheel drive vehicle from the Malian capital, Bamako. Read more about the manuscripts and library project.
