In Timbuktu, historic mausoleums destroyed by extremists have been rebuilt
In Timbuktu, local stone masons have rebuilt 14 mausoleums that were destroyed by Islamist extremists.
The mausoleums were shrines to the city's founding fathers, considered saints by most residents, the BBC reports. Militants who occupied northern Mali in 2012 viewed this as blasphemy, and they destroyed dozens of mausoleums and mosques and burned thousands of old manuscripts from the time when Timbuktu was considered the center of Islamic study. The extremists were forced out in early 2013, and about a year ago, UNESCO began to work with masons who used traditional building methods to reconstruct the mausoleums.
At a dedication ceremony over the weekend, UNESCO's Irina Bokova told the masons, "Your work is a lesson in tolerance, dialogue, and peace...it is an answer to all extremists whose echo can be heard well beyond the borders of Mali." The entire city of Timbuktu is a world heritage site, and Bokova said she would like to see those responsible for the damage brought before the International Criminal Court. Under the UN's 1954 Hague Convention, the destruction is considered a war crime.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Netanyahu's Rafah attack vow snarls truce deal
Speed Read Hours before the truce deal was to be finalized, Netanyahu said Israel will invade Rafah regardless
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - May 1, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - beware of governor, biting debates, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Democrats defang GOP speaker ouster threat
Speed Read Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she will force a vote to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published