The return of the spirit to the libraries of the city of Mosul in Iraq

[size=52]The return of the spirit to the libraries of the city of Mosul in Iraq[/size]

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[size=45]About 5 years after the tragic massacres committed by ISIS members against culture and history in the Iraqi city of Mosul, and the burning of thousands of books that were on the shelves of the Central Library of Mosul University and the destruction of rare manuscripts dating back to the time of the founding of the Iraqi state, the northern capital is trying to revive what was destroyed and restore Building city pride.[/size]
[size=45]Mosul, historically known as a center of literature, has long been famous for its library of rare books that have been preserved for hundreds of years. However, during the ISIS control of the city in northern Iraq between 2014 and 2017, the organization prevented the residents from reading literature that contradicted its extremist ideas, under penalty of punishment.[/size]
[size=45]Muhammad Yunus, artistic director of the prestigious university library, recalls the massacre he witnessed after retaking their city from ISIS in mid-2017, after fierce battles. "When we returned to the place, we found the books lying on the ground, and they were burnt," Younes said.[/size]
[size=45]The fires burned thousands of books on philosophy, law, science and poetry that somehow contradict the extremist worldview of ISIS. Selling valuable and rare ones on the black market.[/size]
[size=45]Yunus, who is in his fifties, added: “Before ISIS entered the city, we had more than a million books, and scientific sources, some of which are rare and cannot be found in any other university in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]After ISIS occupied the city of Mosul, and extended its control over the central library there and this huge cultural edifice, about 85% of the contents of the library, which was founded in 1967, were destroyed. During the recent period, the library took a narrow alternative position within the Faculty of Engineering at the same university .[/size]
[size=45]The yellow shelves seemed heavy with books piled all over the place, some placed inside boxes and others stacked on tables.[/size]
[size=45]The 34-year-old former student at the University of Mosul, Tariq Attia, describes the University of Mosul before ISIS entered “the mother of books,” and asserts that “there is a huge difference between what it was before and what it is today (after ISIS).[/size]

Revitalization of the library

[size=45]Now, through donations, the concerned authorities are trying to revive what was destroyed, and stack the shelves of the library with books once again. It is scheduled to open the building, which was renovated and developed after great efforts and the support of one of the United Nations organizations, at the end of February.[/size]
[size=45]The renovated building consists of four floors with elegant dark glass facades and, according to information, may contain 32,000 books in the early stages. This will include other books that can be accessed electronically. It is expected to eventually contain about one million books.[/size]
[size=45]Younis points out that they have received large donations from Arab and international universities to “revive the library.” He added that eminent personalities and prominent families in Mosul and throughout Iraq also contributed to supporting the revival of the library.[/size]
[size=45]The strategic location of the city, which is the second largest Iraqi city after the capital Baghdad, has made it a major commercial center in the Middle East for many years and the seat of a large number of rare and ancient works, including religious books.[/size]
[size=45]The city, rich with its historical monuments, was able to preserve thousands of rare and ancient works, especially religious texts. The first Iraqi printing press began operating in the second half of the nineteenth century in Mosul.[/size]

an appetite for reading

[size=45]Ahmed Abd Ahmed, head of the Central Endowment Library in Mosul, said that the library contained manuscripts dating back 400 years, and in a voice filled with sadness, he added: “They have all disappeared.”[/size]
[size=45]In another part of the city, scenes of destruction are still very horrific in Al-Nujaifi Street, which was one of the most important streets of the old city of Mosul, known as the Street of Libraries and Intellectuals.[/size]
[size=45]Many stores were abandoned by their owners, and few decided to restore their offices and shops and open their doors again, including the seventies Osama al-Karakji, who sells religious books, notebooks and pens, in the library that he inherited from his father.[/size]
[size=45]The central public library in Mosul, which was established a century ago, and contained more than 120,000 titles, reopened its doors to the people of the city and lovers of reading in late 2019, after its restoration, and its director, Jamal Al-Abed Rabbo, said: “We lost 2,350 books in literature. Sociology and religion.”[/size]
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