UNESCO Office in Windhoek 38-44 Stein Street, Klein Windhoek, P.O. Box 24519, Windhoek, Namibia
Director General praises the people of Timbukutu for the reconstruction of the city's mausoleums
The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova in July visited Timbuktu whose mausoleums have been re- built three years after they were destroyed by armed groups. During her visit, Ms. Bokova paid tribute to the local communities without whom the reconstruction could not have been carried out.
General in the Cemetery of the Three Saints, where Ms. Bokova was accompanied by Mali’s Minister of Culture, Handicraft and Tourism, Ramatoulaye N'Diaye Diallo, the Minister of Higher Edu- cation and Scientific Research, Mountaga Tall, the Deputy Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and ambassadors Richard Zink and Beatrice Meyer, representing the European Un- ion and Switzerland respectively as well as Jacques Batut of the French embassy in Mali.
Ms. Bokova paid tribute to the inhabitants and masons of Timbuktu whose mobilization and skills played a crucial part in the reconstruction of the buildings.
The mausoleums of Timbuktu have long been places of pilgrimage for the people of Mali and neighbouring West African countries. They were an important part of the region’s religious belief system and were widely thought to protect the city from danger. Fourteen of the 16 mausoleums inscribed on the World Heritage List were destroyed, which represented a tragic loss for lo- cal communities. This led the Government of Mali to turn to outside partners, including UNESCO, for sup- port in their reconstruction as early as May 2013.
Article courtesy of World Heritage Centre (http:// whc.unesco.org/en/news/1324)
