Bamum

Created by Sultan Ibrahim Mbouombouo Njoya of the Bamum kingdom in Cameroon from 1896. Starting with 510 pictographs, revised multiple times to settle on 80 syllabic signs. Sultan Njoya compiled history, medicine, and religious texts in this script, preserving an independent knowledge system through the colonial era. A unique example of world script heritage, with specimens held at the British Museum and other institutions.