Exploring Africa’s ancient libraries and the centres preserving them

Long before the printing press or colonial archives, African scholars were keeping record on parchment paper and leather.

Subjects included astronomy, medicine, law and poetry. The existence of these libraries and preservation centres show that the continent’s heritage is just as much written as it is oral. Today, across Africa, archivists and communities are racing to preserve what remains of this legacy. These are the places bringing centuries of wisdom into the digital age.

Qarawiyyin Library, Morocco

In the old medina of Fez lies the Qarawiyyin Library, founded in 859 CE by Fatima al-Fihri. Recognised as the world’s oldest continually operating library, it once drew scholars from across the Islamic world. Inside, beautifully preserved manuscripts reveal an age of scientific curiosity and philosophical depth. From early works on astronomy to treatises on theology and medicine, the collection reflects a society where learning was sacred. After a careful restoration, the library now welcomes researchers eager to rediscover its timeless pages.

The Manuscripts of Timbuktu, Mali

Perhaps the most celebrated of Africa’s ancient collections, the Timbuktu manuscripts number in the hundreds of thousands. Written between the 13th and 16th centuries, these texts span subjects as diverse as astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and poetry, revealing a time when West Africa was alive with scholarship. When conflict threatened the region in 2012, locals risked their lives to hide and smuggle the manuscripts to safety. Today, organisations such as SAVAMA-DCI and the Ahmed Baba Institute work tirelessly to restore, catalogue, and digitise the pages. Their efforts ensure that Timbuktu’s legacy as a centre of learning continues to inspire.

The Spirit of Alexandria, Egypt

Everybody and the man on the corner know of the Library of Alexandria. Though the original was lost to fire centuries ago, its spirit lives on in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a striking modern structure on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. Designed to rekindle the legacy of the ancient world’s greatest knowledge hub, the new library houses millions of books and manuscripts while promoting cultural exchange across Africa and the Middle East. It stands as proof that lost knowledge can be reborn.

Ethiopia’s Monastries

High in the Ethiopian highlands, ancient monasteries protect illuminated manuscripts written in the sacred Ge’ez script. The island churches of Lake Tana, the mountaintop monastery of Debre Damo, and the ancient city of Axum each hold hand-copied texts that have survived centuries of conflict and climate. Many of these books are still used in daily prayers, their pages adorned with vivid illustrations of saints and scholars. They offer a rare glimpse into Ethiopia’s continuous written tradition which connects faith, art and intellect.

Learning Centres

Not all of Africa’s knowledge was confined to scrolls and parchment. Civilisations like Great Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe thrived as centres of commerce, science and architecture, passing wisdom through design and oral tradition. In Sokoto, Nigeria, the caliphate’s archives contain 19th-century records that reveal the political sophistication of precolonial West Africa. Together, these sites remind us that learning in Africa has always taken many forms.

Programmes and Preservation Projects

Across the continent, modern projects are ensuring these fragile treasures endure. The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library collaborates with African institutions to digitise manuscripts from Mali and Ethiopia, while UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme lists several African collections as heritage of global importance. In South Africa, the restoration of the University of Cape Town’s Special Collections, damaged by fire in 2021, has become a symbol of resilience and renewal.

Each rescued manuscript and restored archive reaffirms Africa’s place as a cradle of scholarship.

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