Beyond the ruins: Rediscovering Mosul’s spirit
Shafaq News
In a city once reduced to rubble after three years of war, quiet stories of perseverance are reshaping Mosul’s image—not only as a place of recovery, but as a center of cultural and intellectual life.
Long known for its markets, gates, and minarets, Mosul is now also defined by residents turning to books, education, and heritage as a means of rebuilding from within.
One of them is 70-year-old Ahmad al-Rashdi, who lives surrounded by more than 10,000 books in his personal library on Najafi Street in the old city. Unmarried and without children, he calls his collection his life’s legacy.
Al-Rashdi began collecting in 1973 as a political science student at the University of Baghdad. Drawn to philosophy, religion, and history, he became a meticulous reader, annotating margins with personal reflections “as if speaking to the author.”
“Najafi Street reminded me of Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street,” he told Shafaq News, referring to Iraq’s most famous book market. “I still visit weekly, even after everything the city has endured.” Avoiding public attention, al-Rashdi has quietly become a guardian of local memory in an age of fleeting digital culture.
Not far from his library, a small café known as “Book Gathering” became the unlikely start of another quiet transformation. There, Hazem, now in his twenties, once worked serving tea to students and writers—until their conversations pushed him to resume his education.
“My father was injured during the battle for Mosul, and things were difficult,” he said. “But being around people who talked about books and ideas made me want to change my life.”
He returned to school as an external student and went on to score 78% in his high school exams. “Your environment matters,” he said. “But ambition is what fuels everything.”
More than six years after the defeat of ISIS, Mosul continues to rebuild. But beyond repaired bridges and restored streets, stories like those of Ahmad and Hazem reveal a deeper recovery—one driven by knowledge, culture, and quiet resolve.
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
