After Islamist militants seized control of Mali’s Timbuktu in 2012, the Ka’ti family fled to safety in Spain, taking with them a trove of ancient manuscripts.

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Ali ben Ziyad, a Muslim nobleman from the central Spanish city of Toledo, started the collection of writings in the 15th century.

“These were the manuscripts that the family used to have in the library at the Toledo mosque. And it’s this library that was taken out of Toledo and sent on its way to Africa to save it because of the Christian intolerance back then,” Ismael Diadié, founder of the Ka’ti Foundation Library, told FRANCE 24.

More than 500 years later, religious intolerance has again forced the manuscripts to be moved – this time back to Spain.

To watch FRANCE 24’s full report, click on the player above.

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