Timbuktu Residents Save Ancient Manuscripts From Islamic Radicals

Residents of Timbuktu, Mali have reportedly saved most ancient manuscripts in its famed library from being burned by Islamic radicals in control of the city, NPR reports.

The latest estimates... suggest that about 2,000 manuscripts were torched, while the remainder of the estimated 30,000 at the institute survived. Apparently residents removed and hid many of the manuscripts, anticipating that the Islamists would try to destroy them.

The manuscripts include ornately decorated Qurans and other religious texts, as well as poetry and mathematics. Many of the works date from the 14th to the 16th centuries, when Timbuktu was a major regional crossroads.

 It just goes to show that people all over the world love their libraries!