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Human heritage - going going gone.
U14993989 Started conversation Jun 30, 2012
The ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali has been earmarked for destruction after being captured by Islamist fighters of the Ansar Dine group, which controls much of northern Mali.
Witnesses say they have attacked the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud, one of 16 shrines in the city: "They have already completely destroyed the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud (Ben Amar) and two others," Malian journalist Yeya Tandina told the Reuters news agency.
"They [the fighters] said they would continue all day and destroy all 16 [mausoleums] in the city."
Last week, the UN cultural organisation Unesco put Timbuktu on its list of endangered world heritage sites, fearing damage following the coup which toppled the Malian government in March.
In addition to at least 16 shrines, Timbuktu is home to some 700,000 ancient manuscripts held in about 60 private libraries.
Human heritage - going going gone.
U14993989 Posted Jun 30, 2012
forgot to add the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18657463
Human heritage - going going gone.
U14993989 Posted Jul 2, 2012
Islamist militants in Mali have attacked one of the most famous mosques in the historic city of Timbuktu, residents say.
Armed men broke down the door of the 15th-Century Sidi Yahia mosque, a resident told the BBC.
The Ansar Dine group, which is said to have links to al-Qaeda, seized control of the city earlier this year.
It has already destroyed several of the city's shrines, saying they contravene its strict interpretation of Islam.
Ansar Dine spokesman Sanda Ould Bamana told the BBC that his movement had now completed nearly 90% of its objective to destroy all mausoleums that are not in line with Islamic law.
He said Sharia did not allow the building of tombs taller than 15cm (6 inches).
The new chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, on Sunday condemned the destruction as a "war crime", reports the AFP news agency.
The UN cultural agency Unesco and Mali's government have called on Ansar Dine to halt its campaign.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18675539
Human heritage - going going gone.
U14993989 Posted Jul 17, 2012
Islamist militias target Mali's ancient tombs (Video clip from the BBC):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18876898
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Human heritage - going going gone.
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