Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library

Founded by Abdel Kader Haidara in 2000 and named in honor of his father, the library preserves one of the oldest and largest private manuscript collections in Timbuktu, with about 22,000 items.

"[10] In 2012, as Al-Qaeda allied militants threatened to occupy Timbuktu, Abdel Kader Haidara moved more than 350,000 of the library's manuscripts to Bamako for safekeeping.

[8][6] Haidara and his team packed the works of astronomy, poetry, history, and jurisprudence into metal chests which were then transported from the library using mule carts and small vehicles to safe-houses throughout the city, eventually making the 500 mile journey to Bamako.

[8] A boat full of manuscripts being relocated was seized and held for ransom on the Niger River in one instance, and in others, Jihadists and Malian soldiers searched the cases, damaging some of the fragile documents.

[8] In addition to militant threats, the manuscripts faced a danger in the climate of Bamako, which is much more humid than Timbuktu, and poses a risk to the condition and preservation of the texts.