Library

This book is a journalistic investigation into a long-distance adventure to transport precious ancient manuscripts that shocked the world. In central Mali, on the edge of the Sahara Desert, there is an ancient city called Timbuktu. It was once a prestigious academic and cultural center with rare ancient Arabic manuscripts. During the historical turmoil, the manuscripts were destroyed and buried. It was not until 1984 that a young librarian named Haidara ventured across the Sahara Desert and tracked along the Niger River for many years before collecting a large number of rare ancient manuscripts, which were protected and restored, and Timbuktu's cultural tradition was revived. However, not long after, the threat came again. In 2012, a group of terrorists occupied Timbuktu. They could not tolerate music and culture, and frequently burned books and chopped off people's hands and feet. In order to prevent the manuscripts from being destroyed, Haidara organized his colleagues and recruited volunteers to take risks and steal 377,000 manuscripts in the city. He rented cars, mule carts, and boats to smuggle the manuscripts out of the city and sent them to areas controlled by government troops...