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In Iraq's Mosul, library rises from ashes of IS reign
The storied library of Iraq's Mosul University boasted a million titles before Islamic State group jihadists rampaged through it.
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A librarian consults a book from the collection of Mosul central library, founded in 1921, in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, on January 31, 2022. (AFP/Zaid Al-Obeidi)
T
he storied library of Iraq's Mosul University boasted a million titles before Islamic State group jihadists rampaged through it, toppling book shelves and burning ancient texts.
Now, almost five years after their defeat, the war-battered northern metropolis is trying to rebuild the pride of the city long known as a literature hub boasting countless booksellers and archives guarding rare manuscripts.
Mohamed Younes, technical director of the prestigious university library, recalls the carnage he witnessed after Mosul was recaptured from IS in mid-2017 following long and gruelling street battles.
"When we came back, we saw... the books pulled from the shelves, thrown on the ground and burned," he said.
Thousands of texts on philosophy and law, science and poetry which in some way contradicted the IS's extremist world view 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.
