Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli occupation forces issue a new bombing threat against civilian buildings in the Southern Lebanese towns of Borj Qalaouiye and Chehabiyeh.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Extending the snapback mechanism deadline will test how independent Europeans truly are from the US.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Activating the snapback mechanism will nullify the Cairo Agreement, shut the door on cooperation between the IAEA and Tehran, and bar inspections.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: The diplomatic window remains open, but signs of activating the snapback sanctions mechanism on Iran are increasing.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Although the Cairo Agreement meets an important part of European demands, they have begun speaking of new conditions in recent communications.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: European countries show no independence in their stance toward Iran during the talks.
Israeli occupation forces issued bombing threats to bomb civilian buildings in Southern Lebanon.
Israeli media: Person behind shooting operation at Allenby Crossing is a Jordanian Army soldier.
Israeli media citing Emergency Services: Both wounded in Allenby shooting operation now dead.
Israeli media: One soldier wounded at Allenby crossing now confirmed killed.

In Iraq's Mosul, library rises from ashes

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Feb 2022 16:23
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

Mosul University's historic library rises after years of war in Iraq.

  • x
  • In Iraq's Mosul, library rises from ashes
    In Iraq's Mosul, a library rises from the ashes.

Before ISIS rampaged through Mosul University's historic library, collapsing shelving and torching priceless literature, the library had a million titles.

Now, over five years after the war, the northern metropolis is attempting to reclaim its former glory as a literary hotspot with a plethora of bookshops and archives guarding priceless manuscripts.

Mohamed Younes, technical director of the Mosul University library, recalls the destruction he saw after ISIS took Mosul in mid-2017 following a long and arduous street fighting. 

"When we came back, we saw... the books pulled from the shelves, thrown on the ground, and burned," he said.

Thousands of volumes on philosophy and law, science and poetry, all of which challenged the fanatical worldview of ISIS, had gone up in flames. Some of the most valuable titles were sold on the black market.

"Before, we had more than a million titles, some of which couldn't be found in any other university in Iraq," said Younes.

"We were only able to move the rare books and a number of foreign periodicals" when the terrorists initially arrived at the city's borders, he claimed. With ISIS' brutal takeover of Mosul, 85% of the collection was lost. 

Former student Tarek Attiya, 34, who is now enrolled at Tikrit University, described Mosul University as "the mother of all books" before ISIS. "There is a huge difference between what used to be and the situation after ISIS," he said. 

Refurbished building

Now, with the support of contributions, there is a rebirth underway to restock the library shelves with books.

Related News

The 'militia' label: How Western media delegitimizes Iraq’s PMF

Arab-Islamic summit slams Israeli strike on Qatar, urges unity

The library building, which was renovated with UN funding, is expected to reopen this month. It will be four stories high with a sleek glass front and house 32,000 volumes at first. It will also include a digital library of e-books, with the goal of eventually reconstructing a million-strong library.

The volumes have been stored in the University's Engineering Faculty's cramped quarters, where shelves are overflowing and titles are packed on every available surface, in preparation for the opening. The Director stated that significant donations from Arab and foreign colleges have been received to "allow the resurrection of the library."

Well-known Mosul and Iraqi figures had also contributed by "dipping into their personal" collections, he said.

Iraq's northern capital, Mosul, has long been a center for merchants and aristocrats, with a vibrant cultural and intellectual life.

Mosul, a Middle Eastern economic crossroads, was able to preserve thousands of rare and old publications, particularly religious writings. It is worth noting that Iraq's first printing press was operating in Mosul in the second half of the 19th century.

The love for books

Mosul's nascent cultural resurgence is beginning to take root, at least where there was anything left to salvage.

According to Ahmed Abd Ahmed, the head of the Waqf, which controls Islamic endowments, the library previously had writings dating back 400 years. But, he added sadly, "they have all disappeared."

Other parts of the city, like as Al-Nujaifi Street, which was once lined with bookshops, still retain the marks of the militants' destruction.

Many stores have been abandoned, and mounds of rubble lie beneath old stone arches, yet a few proprietors have reopened their doors after paying for restoration work out of their own pockets.

Mosul's central public library, which housed more than 120,000 titles and was founded a century ago last year, reopened its doors in late 2019 after its restoration. 

"We lost 2,350 books on literature, sociology, or religion," said its Director Jamal Al-Abd Rabbo. He did say, though, that public donations and purchases had enabled him to rebuild the collection to 132,000 titles.

The library's shelves are still stacked with old leather-bound books with faded spines and crumpled pages. He stressed that the public's thirst for reading has not waned and that "some of our visitors come every day, for an hour or two, to read."

  • Mosul
  • Iraq
  • Mosul University

Most Read

Why is Choose Love using a firm with British and US intelligence connections to run a pro-Palestine musical event? (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Together for Palestine: Troubling questions about the organisers of this huge event

  • Opinion
  • 17 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A Hezbollah supporter who lost his sight in a pager attack carried out by "Israel" on Sept. 17, 2024, covers his eyes with a red headband inscribed with the name "Hussein" during Ashoura, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'We Have Recovered': Lebanon marks 1st anniversary of Pager Attack

The Arab neighborhood of El Za'im, on the outskirts of east Occupied Al-Quds in the West Bank, near where Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement project, Thursday, August 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestine

'Israel’s' deliberate policies drive West Bank economy toward collapse

Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Politics

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns over parent company curbing activism

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll
US & Canada

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS