HISTORY FOR TIMBUKTU: AḤMAD BUL'ARĀF, ARCHIVES, AND THE PLACE OF THE PAST.

The article discusses historical sources and archives related to Timbuktu, Mali, focusing on the work of scholar and archivist Aḥmad Bul'araf. The author describes various works produced by Bul'raf and notes his talent for book conservation and devotion to the collection of manuscripts and other texts. Special attention is paid to his work on a biographical dictionary and its place in Islamic scholarship. It is concluded that the work has value as a historical source on Bul'araf's life, the history of Timbuktu, and the history of archives.