A thrilling story if true, over 400 manuscripts have been found by Professor John Hunwick from around Africa since 1964 but the most recent find was in Mali, where the descendants of the African historian Mahmud al-Kati have been keeping them since his death in 1592.

African history has always been held to be an oral tradition - 'stories learnt and passed down by successive generations'

The existance of historical documents will add greatly to our knowledge of the West African lands and change people preconceptions that before the European influence the continent had no written history.

British born Professor John Hunwick, discovered this particular treasure in August 1999 in Timbuktu, you can read the whole story on the Chicago Tribune web site.