Timbuktu's mayor said Islamists fleeing the town set fire to a library housing thousands of historic manuscripts. Officials say they do not yet know the extent of the damage.
ປະມວນພາບກ່ຽວກັບ ເມືອງປະຫວັດສາດ Timbuktu
![This March 16, 2004 photo shows an unidentified worker looking after some of the 20,000 preserved ancient Islamic manuscripts which rest in air-conditioned rooms at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali.](https://gdb.voanews.com/32ff0a36-0e05-4198-9037-4c0af8006cfd_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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This March 16, 2004 photo shows an unidentified worker looking after some of the 20,000 preserved ancient Islamic manuscripts which rest in air-conditioned rooms at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali.
![This March 16, 2004 shows some of the 20,000 preserved ancient Islamic manuscripts which rest in air-conditioned rooms are displayed at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali.](https://gdb.voanews.com/709a9dfd-9bc4-4315-8159-bd185a4f04fc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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This March 16, 2004 shows some of the 20,000 preserved ancient Islamic manuscripts which rest in air-conditioned rooms are displayed at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali.
![This March 16, 2004 shows Alhousseini Ould Alfadrou, 16, singing verses from crumbling ancient Islamic manuscripts in a mud-walled house in Timbuktu, Mali.](https://gdb.voanews.com/4c590fe2-f924-4cc4-9756-eb1a096ff9ea_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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This March 16, 2004 shows Alhousseini Ould Alfadrou, 16, singing verses from crumbling ancient Islamic manuscripts in a mud-walled house in Timbuktu, Mali.
![This May 1, 2012 photo shows men work near one of Timburktu's historic mud mosques.](https://gdb.voanews.com/b22148bb-ced3-4409-8114-e9f4b80c712d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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This May 1, 2012 photo shows men work near one of Timburktu's historic mud mosques.