![]() Each scholarly group had its own range of designs passed on from generation to generation (Kane 2016). Moroccan Sufi orders and brethren were responsible for spreading this talismanic knowledge in West Africa. The usage of this squares belongs to a rich cultural and occultic practice of West Africa and covers various aspects of human life such as medicine, warfare, agriculture, and spirituality (Dubois 1896). Magic squares appear often in Timbuktu manuscripts, either as an independent subject or scribbled as side notes, possibly due to the scarcity of paper in mediaeval Africa. George Bohas Corroborated that these manuscripts form an integral part of World heritage and Saving them doesn’t just mean putting them away in boxes - it means translating them and sharing them (Snaije 2013). Indeed, the translations will serve as morale booster to a continent that has seen more than its fair share of adverse publicity (Benna 2013). Leo Africanus recorded in the 16th century that these manuscripts were brought from barbary and sold more profitable than any other goods (Hunwick 2003).įormer President Mbeki stressed that these rare manuscripts need to be translated urgently because they represent the contribution of the African mind to the Human history and wellbeing (Jeppie 2008). Majority of these manuscripts served as textbooks and covered various topics such as Mathematics, Medicine, linguistics, Astronomy, history, and ethics. “It appears that for now, the manuscripts are considered objects to be exploited as props for documentaries and not as sources of knowledge, inspiration and amazement for scholars or the public’’ (Joe Penney 2017). They were preserved by the previous government of South Africa but not translated. These manuscripts survived termite, humidity, Arab invasion, French colony and lately insurgent rebels (Hammer 2016). The rest is darkness, and darkness is not the subject of history However, at the present, there is none there is only the history of Europeans in Africa. Perhaps in the future there will be some African history to teach. Moreover, Trevor-Roper (1964) went further and denied Africa its glamorous past: (Emanuel Eze 1997) European thinkers Kant, Hume, and Hegel contended that Africa had no tradition of writing, and therefore no history and no memory. They stand as a living testimony of the highly advanced and refined civilization in the Sub-Saharan region (Ibrahim 2013), contrary to what Europeans thought for centuries about the absence of a recorded African history, literature and philosophy. Timbuktu manuscripts represent a longstanding intellectual and cultural legacy of Africa and its people. Images Courtesy of Curator Evyn Kropf, University of Michigan and library of Congress. Moreover, it will illustrate the nature of the knowledge contested by rebel insurgents and radical Islamists. The research highlighted the African perspective of the Magic Square and will certainly contribute to the universal usage of this talisman. These manuscripts are digitized and hosted by the Library of Congress. The Story of Dhu al-Qarnayn, better Known as Alexander the Great. Explanation of the Work of al-Ghazali and Nuh ibn al-Tahir al-Fulani. Curing Diseases and Defects Both Apparent and Hidden. Askiyah's Questions and al-Maghili's Answers. On the Calculation of Numbers in the Science of Astronomy. ![]() ![]() They were first rewritten in modern Arabic script, then translated briefly in relation to the topic. Few other manuscripts were visited in the research to strengthen the evidence and the argument. The article discussed further the legalities of the magic square based on the fifteen-century responsa of Al-Maghili (d. Both manuscripts considered the understanding of the square to be divine and conferred by God to very few Prophets and Gnostics. The second manuscript ‘The Talisman of Victory’ discussed a square designed by Aristotle for Alexander to conquer his enemies. The first manuscript ‘The secret of Object’ portrayed the origin and the functions of the square. The study investigated two manuscripts from Mama Haidara in relation to the use of the Magic Squares in the region. These precious manuscripts need to be urgently translated because they represent the contribution of the African mind to the human history. They had survived for centuries in the Saharan desert, hidden in wooden trunks, and buried in boxes under the sand and in caves. The late discovery of Timbuktu manuscripts was a turning point for Africa and its people. Title: The Use of Magic Squares in Timbuktu: Origin and Verdict.
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