Timbuktu mausoleums “destroyed”

BBC News ^ | 23 December 2012 | Last updated at 11:07 ET

[annalex]

Just to dwell on this fact: these are monuments to Islamic culture. Not French, not Christian, not pagan, not Buddhist, not Marxist: ISLAMIC culture.

The tomb of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar in January 2008. Photo: Martha de Jong-Lantink

Desecration of a grave is a heinous sin in Islam.

Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar (also known as Sidi Amar, Cadi Sidi Mahmoud, or Sidi Mahmoud) is a revered Muslim scholar who is one of the 333 Sufi saints said to be buried in Timbuktu. The tomb of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar is among 16 cemeteries and mausolea that are a part of Timbuktu, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar

These people have gone insane.

Timbuktu Mosque, in happer days.