Timbuktu's scientific manuscript heritage: the reopening of an ancient vista?

bibliographic database
Line

Periodical article

Title:	Timbuktu's scientific manuscript heritage: the reopening of an ancient vista?
Author:	Farouk-Alli, Aslam
Year:	2009
Periodical:	Journal for the Study of Religion
Volume:	22
Issue:	1
Pages:	43-62
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Mali
Subjects:	manuscripts historical sources cultural heritage Islam science
Abstract:	Timbuktu's intellectual heritage has attracted new-found interest after the preservation of the city's manuscripts was declared as the first cultural project of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The initiative created a space for researchers interested in studying the content of the manuscripts. This article maps a brief history of Timbuktu and provides some insight into its manuscript collections, before discussing the Timbuktu scientific heritage in light of contemporary debates on the history of science in Islamic societies. It is argued that the pre-modern Islamic legacy currently being unearthed in Timbuktu emphasizes the need for a clearer articulation of the relationship between science and religion in Muslim societies. Bibliogr., ref., sum. [Journal abstract]