After Restoration, Mosul's Central Library Reopens to Researchers

Shafaq News/ The Central Library in Mosul has reopened its doors after years of being destructed by ISIS. The library has begun serving students and researchers, in addition to hosting groups of schoolchildren.

Founded in 1921, the library houses rare books and an extensive archive.

Jamal al-Abd Rabbo, the director of the Central Library in Mosul, told Shafaq News Agency that "the library is recording increasing interest from researchers and university students, as well as from schoolchildren through educational trips organized to the library."

Today, the library holds 153,000 books, along with the complete archive of the AL-Waqaai newspaper, as well as research and dissertations from postgraduate students (Master's and PhD) at universities in the Nineveh Governorate.

During ISIS's occupation of Mosul, the library lost thousands of books, but "they were replaced after the military operations ended, thanks to the efforts of international organizations and the people of Mosul," said al-Abd Rabbo.

Nineveh is home to five major libraries, the most prominent of which are the University of Mosul Library, the Central Public Library, the Awqaf Library, the Museum Library, and the Center for Studies Library.

All of these libraries have been rebuilt and are now witnessing increasing attendance "after being enriched with unique and diverse scientific books."

The Central Library at the University of Mosul, the largest university in Nineveh, was subjected to destruction and arson by ISIS, resulting in the loss of nearly a million books and sources, which had once been considered one of the largest in the Middle East, but ISIS nearly destroyed all its books—a destruction that UNESCO described as one of the most devastating acts of library devastation in human history.