‘I have to protect them’: The man guarding Mauritania’s rare Islamic books
Summary
Muhammad Gholam el-Habot cares for rare Islamic manuscripts in Chinguetti, Mauritania, a historic town with ancient libraries. These books are fragile and face damage from climate change, including extreme heat, unpredictable rain, and sand encroachment threatening the area.Key Facts
- El-Habot manages about 1,400 ancient manuscripts in his family library in Chinguetti.
- Chinguetti was a key center of Islamic learning from the 13th to 17th centuries.
- The town is largely abandoned as many people have moved to bigger cities for work.
- Mauritania is mostly Sahara desert and faces desertification, worsened by climate change.
- Climate change brings more sand storms, extreme temperatures, and unpredictable rain.
- These conditions make it hard to preserve the old manuscripts, which are very fragile.
- The mudbrick libraries are not designed to withstand sudden rain and heatwaves.
- Younger generations are less interested in guarding the manuscripts, making preservation harder.
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