Timbuktu has an enormous stock of Arabic manuscripts, some of which date back to the 12th century. Topics range from Islam and philosophy to mathematics and astronomy. They may soon disappear.

Timbuktu for the past few months has been run by very aggressive Islamists, Ansar Dine. They now control the northern two-thirds of Mali. Ansar Dine believes in a severe Salafist version of Islam. It hates the city’s cultural heritage.

Earlier this year, Ansar Dine began smashing ancient tombs in Timbuktu. They say that they are anti-Islamic. Nine were destroyed, seven in a part of the town designated as a World Heritage Site.

"The mission is not complete," said an Ansar Dine spokesman. But the destruction of monuments may, for the moment, be over. Apart from international anger at the destruction, it angered the town’s citizens.

The safety of Timbuktu’s manuscripts is uncertain. As the rebels came into Timbuktu, Mali’s cultural authorities told the owners of private libraries in the city to hide them. But not all of them are safe. A big collection at the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research, which has 30,000 manuscripts, is threatened. Ansar Dine has occupied it.