politics
Man Discovers Family Manuscript Written in Berber Language
A 28-year-old man found an old manuscript in his father's collection in Morocco. Specialists identified the text as written in Tashelhiyt Berber using Arabic script, a rare example of the language in written form.
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A 28-year-old man identified only by his Reddit username Easy-Advertising-152 found a small handwritten manuscript while searching through his father's collection in Morocco. He initially viewed the item as an ordinary heirloom with a worn cover and browned pages containing religious text in red and black ink.
The codex is hand-sized and uses brown ink for most text, with key words highlighted in red. One page carries a label reading "al-Sūsiyya," referring to the Soussi region. The only Arabic passages are Islamic formulae such as the shahada and headings on tawhid, which the scribe marked in red while explanations appear in black.
The paper shows heavy wear consistent with possible eighteenth-century origin. Endpapers contain additional ownership notes, names, Latin script, and signatures from previous holders. The manuscript has remained in the family for as long as the owner can recall.
The man posted photographs on Reddit's Antiques thread, where the images drew widespread attention within days. He has not decided the manuscript's future but is considering offering it to a historian or institution for preservation.
