Libraries Beneath the Sand: Racing Al Qaeda to Save Timbuktu's Ancient Manuscripts

Nearly thirty years ago, explorer and author James Michael Dorsey traveled to Timbuktu to see its legendary manuscript libraries — and found himself swept into a race against time. As Al Qaeda's presence grew in northern Mali, his Tuareg guide, Halis al Moctar, recruited him to help evacuate centuries-old manuscripts before the extremist group could destroy them.

On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Before They Vanish" Podcast, James shares what it was like to pack and smuggle manuscripts by camel caravan across the Sahara, hiding them under slabs of salt to slip past Al Qaeda patrols, and distributing them to nomadic families who buried them in the desert for safekeeping. He also talks about the Tuareg "Blue Men" of the Sahara, explorer Ernst Aebi's strange attempt to build a luxury resort in the dying village of Araouane, and the ongoing effort to digitize what manuscripts remain today.

📖 Read James's full feature, "Libraries Beneath the Sand," at Hidden Compass: https://hiddencompass.net/story/libraries-beneath-the-sand/ 

🎙️ Listen to more episodes of Before They Vanish:  https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/before-they-vanish-podcast 

🌍 Learn more about James Michael Dorsey and his books: https://jamesmichaeldorseyauthor.com/