The emir took care of books and manuscripts even in war; he transported all the books and manuscripts that had been stored in Takdemt fortress to his personal encampment (Arabic: زمالة‎ zmālah, romanised as "the Smala") after the fortress fell to French invaders, but French soldiers seized the books and manuscripts after the Battle of the Smala in 1843. The Emir also chose qualified teachers to develop education in the emirate, supported the teachers financially and morally and gave them wages to them depending on their qualification as he also build schools across his emirate in villages, towns and cities.