Timbuktu Begins Rebuilding its Storied Mausoleums After Islamist Coup

When Islamist rebels seized portions of northern Mali in the spring and summer of 2012, the world watched in horror as UNESCO World Heritage sites like Timbuktu’s mausoleums were chipped away to rubble and hundreds of historic scrolls and manuscripts were set alight. Now, according to Reuters, masons have begun reconstructing the mud structures that hold the tombs of hundreds of Timbuktu’s saints.

UNESCO and the Malian government are said to be working together in funding the reconstruction efforts. They will also reassess reconstruction needs of further sites in Goa, particularly the Tomb of Songhai emperor Askia.

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