Timbuktu manuscripts: Mali's ancient documents captured online - BBC News

"A virtual gallery to showcase Mali's cultural history has been launched, featuring tens of thousands of Timbuktu's ancient manuscripts.... It is a project the people of Mali have kept their eyes on for many years since Islamist militants set fire to libraries in Timbuktu as they tried to destroy the priceless papers. Over a period of six months, manuscripts were smuggled out of Timbuktu to Mali's capital Bamako, as time was running out to rescue and preserve the documents from near destruction....   It was the first time that the court in The Hague had tried a case of cultural destruction.... This project to preserve Mali's manuscripts is not however the first attempt. The University of Cape Town launched the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project in 2003, with an emphasis on "manuscript traditions throughout the African continent", according to the website. Similarly, the US Library of Congress has made some of the manuscripts available online."