The Quest for Stars in the Sand,
Guiding us to Africa’s forgotten past…

Guided by astrophysicist, Dr Thebe Medupe, a group of modern scientists engage in the first exploration of the scientific contents of the manuscript archives of Timbuktu.

The film reveals the painstaking work done by conservators and manuscript owners who face the daunting task of conserving the brittle and damaged manuscripts before this valuable history is lost forever in the sands of the Sahara.

Dr Medupe works together with Islamic Science Historian Dr Petra Schmidl on deciphering the meaning and significance of these fascinating papers. With comment from Islamic Science Historians Prof George Saliba and Dr John Steele we reveal the historical background to the information found in the manuscripts and the relevance of Timbuktu’s Islamic history.

Throughout the documentary recreations of life in medieval Timbuktu illustrate and enhance discoveries – bringing to life the ancient work of these African academics. 

By using modern ‘state of the art’ digital technology we reveal the cosmology of an ancient time bringing the archives from sandy obscurity to global cyber access.

For additional information on this remarkable film project and to purchase the dvd please visit www.astronomersoftimbuktu.com.

The dvd has French and Arabic sub titles and extra interviews from Prof. Saliba and Doctors Medupe, Schmidl and Steele.

The film is being shown at the following festivals in 2010:

- International Science Film Festival 2010 – Athens, Greece
- Science Film Festival 2010 – A Coruna, Galicia, Spain (Galician sub titles)
- Africa on Screen Film Festival 2010 – shown in Johannesburg during the Soccer World Cup

The Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu has been bought by the following broadcasters: 
Al Jazeera Northern Africa and Middle East: Arabic speaking
Foxtel Management Australia - New Zealand/Australia
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation - Namibia
IRIB Islamic Rep. of Iran Broadcast – Iran