citizens snuck out of the city of Timbuktu

市民從廷巴克圖市溜走的情況

and took to the wilderness.

並走上了曠野。

They buried chests in the desert sand, hid them in caves,

他們把箱子埋在沙漠的沙子裡，藏在山洞裡。

and sealed them in secret rooms.

並把他們封在密室裡。

Inside these chests was a treasure more valuable than gold:

在這些箱子裡，有比金子還珍貴的寶藏。

the city's ancient books.

城市的古籍。

Founded around 1100 CE in what is now Mali,

公元1100年左右在現在的馬裡建立。

the city of Timbuktu started out as an unremarkable trading post.

廷巴克圖市最初只是一個不起眼的貿易站。

But its unique location soon changed that.

但其獨特的地理位置很快就改變了這一點。

Timbuktu marked the intersection of two essential trade routes,

廷巴克圖是兩條重要貿易路線的交匯點。

where caravans bringing salt across the Sahara

運鹽大篷車穿越撒哈拉的地方

met with traders bringing gold from the African interior.

遇到了從非洲內陸帶來黃金的商人。

By the late 1300s, these trade routes made Timbuktu rich,

到了1300年代後期，這些貿易路線使廷巴克圖變得富有。

and the city's rulers, the kings of the Mali Empire,

和城市的統治者，馬裡帝國的國王。

built monuments and academies that drew scholars

樹碑立傳，博採眾長

from Egypt, Spain, and Morocco.

來自埃及、西班牙和摩洛哥。

The city's prime location also made it a target for warlords and conquerors.

城市的優越位置也使它成為軍閥和征服者的目標。

As the Mali Empire declined, one of its domains, Songhai,

隨著馬裡帝國的衰落，其領地之一的松海。

began to gain power.

開始得勢。

In 1468, the Songhai king conquered Timbuktu,

1468年，宋海王征服了廷布圖。

burning buildings and murdering scholars.

焚燒建築和謀殺學者。

But in time, intellectual life in the city flourished again.

但隨著時間的推移，城市裡的知識分子生活又開始繁榮起來。

The reign of the second king of the Songhai Empire,

松海國二王在位。

Askia Mohammed Toure,

Askia Mohammed Toure,

marked the beginning of a golden age in Timbuktu.

標誌著廷巴克圖黃金時代的開始。

He reversed his predecessor's regressive policies

他扭轉了前任的倒退政策。

and encouraged learning.

並鼓勵學習。

The Songhai rulers and most of Timbuktu's population were Muslim,

桑海統治者和廷巴克圖的大部分人口都是穆斯林。

and the scholars of Timbuktu studied Islam

和廷巴克圖的學者研究伊斯蘭教。

alongside secular topics like mathematics and philosophy.

與數學和哲學等世俗話題並列。

In the libraries of Timbuktu,

在廷巴克圖的圖書館。

tracts of Greek philosophy stood alongside the writings

希臘哲學的小冊子和著作並存。

of local historians, scientists, and poets.

當地歷史學家、科學家和詩人的。

The city's most prominent scholar, Ahmed Baba,

該市最著名的學者艾哈邁德-巴巴。

challenged prevailing opinions on subjects

激濁揚清

ranging from smoking to slavery.

從吸菸到奴隸制。

Gold and salt trade had funded the city's transformation

金鹽貿易曾為城市的改造提供資金

into a center of learning.

成學習中心。

Now, the products of that intellectual culture

現在，這種知識文化的產物

became the most sought-after commodity.

成為最搶手的商品。

With paper from faraway Venice

帶著來自遙遠的威尼斯的紙張

and vibrant ink from local plants and minerals,

和來自當地植物和礦物的鮮豔墨水。

the scribes of Timbuktu produced texts in both Arabic

廷巴克圖的文士用阿拉伯文和阿拉伯文製作了文字。

and local languages.

和當地語言。

Written in calligraphy and decorated with intricate geometric designs,

用書法書寫，並以複雜的幾何圖案裝飾。

the books of Timbuktu were in demand among the wealthiest members of society.

廷巴克圖的書籍在社會最富有的成員中很受歡迎。

In 1591, the golden age came to an abrupt end

1591年，黃金時代戛然而止。

when the Moroccan king captured Timbuktu.

摩洛哥國王攻佔廷巴克圖時。

Moroccan forces imprisoned Ahmed Baba and other prominent scholars

摩洛哥軍隊監禁了Ahmed Baba和其他著名學者

and confiscated their libraries.

並沒收了他們的圖書館。

In the centuries that followed, the city weathered a succession of conquests.

在隨後的幾個世紀裡，這座城市經歷了一系列的征服。

In the mid-1800s, Sufi Jihadists occupied Timbuktu

19世紀中葉，蘇菲聖戰者佔領了廷巴克圖。

and destroyed many non-religious manuscripts.

並銷燬了許多非宗教的手稿。

1894, French colonial forces seized control of the city,

1894年，法國殖民軍奪取了該市的控制權。

stealing even more manuscripts and sending them to Europe.

竊取更多的手稿，並將其送往歐洲。

French became the official language taught in schools,

法語成為學校的官方語言。

and new generations in Timbuktu

廷巴克圖的新生代

couldn't read the Arabic manuscripts that remained.

看不懂剩下的阿拉伯文手稿。

Through it all, the literary tradition of Timbuktu didn't die—

在這一切中，廷巴克圖的文學傳統並沒有消亡--。

it went underground.

它去了地下。

Some families built secret libraries in their homes,

有的家庭在家中建立了祕密圖書館。

or buried the books in their gardens.

或把書埋在花園裡。

Others stashed them in abandoned caves or holes in the desert.

其他人則把它們藏在廢棄的山洞或沙漠中的洞裡。

The priceless manuscripts of Timbuktu

廷巴克圖的無價手稿。

dispersed to villages throughout the surrounding area,

分散到整個周邊地區的村莊。

where regular citizens guarded them for hundreds of years.

在那裡，普通市民守護了幾百年。

As desertification and war impoverished the region,

由於荒漠化和戰爭使該地區陷入貧困。

families held on to the ancient books

家藏古籍

even as they faced desperate poverty and near-starvation.

即使他們面臨著絕望的貧困和幾乎捱餓。

Even today, the struggle to protect the books continues.

即使在今天，保護圖書的鬥爭仍在繼續。

From the 1980s to the early 2000s,

從20世紀80年代到21世紀初。

Timbuktu scholar Abdel Kader Haidara painstakingly retrieved hidden manuscripts

廷巴克圖學者阿卜杜勒-卡德爾-海達拉費盡心思地找回了隱藏的手稿。

from all over northern Mali and brought them back to Timbuktu.

並將他們帶回廷巴克圖。

But in 2012, civil war in Mali once again threatened the manuscripts,

但在2012年，馬裡的內戰再次威脅到了手稿。

most of which were evacuated to nearby Bamako.

其中大部分人被疏散到附近的巴馬科。

Their future remains uncertain,

他們的未來仍然不確定。

as they face both human and environmental threats.

因為它們面臨著人類和環境的雙重威脅。

These books represent our best— and often only—

這些書代表了我們最好的，往往也是唯一的。

sources on the pre-colonial history of the region.

關於該地區殖民前歷史的資料。

Many of them have never been read by modern scholars,

其中很多是現代學者從未讀過的。

and still more remain lost or hidden in the desert.

還有更多的人仍然迷失或隱藏在沙漠中。

At stake in the efforts to protect them is the history they contain—

保護它們的努力關係到它們所包含的歷史----。

and the efforts of countless generations to protect that history from being lost.

以及無數代人為保護這段歷史不丟失所做的努力。