Risking death to build a library
30 August 2015
 |
| A Syrian reading in the library rescued from burning houses |
The Syrians defying napalm bombs and
sniper fire to build a library
Syrians in the rebel-held town of Darayya
have lived under siege from Assad's forces for three years. But some students
are trying to create a place of peace among the rubble
BY MAIREAD DIXON
Syrians in the rebel-held town of Darayya
have faced sniper fire, napalm bombing and indiscriminate killing at the hands
of the Assad regime.
But among the destruction, one group of
young men managed to create a place of sanctuary - a library.
After residents of the besieged town fled,
the students rescued books from their abandoned private libraries. In some
cases, the buildings were still burning. So far they’ve collected more
than 11,000 books.
One of the volunteers, Abu Al-Ezz, 23,
told Humans of Syria: “One day we came up with the idea to collect all the
books scattered throughout the city under the rubble of demolished homes.
“It’s been a daunting and dangerous task.
“We’ve spent long days cataloguing the
books, so if the owners return after the war they can have them back.” [ ... ]
The volunteers take turns to work as
librarians and have created a check out system to keep track of borrowed books.
They also wrote the original owner’s name inside each book, in the hope of
restoring them to them after the war.
The library contains 11,000 books
including Arabic and foreign novels, religious and academic books.
Abu Malek Alshamy said: “We created an
atmosphere inside the library of silence and light, with tables for the
readers.
“In such a place, the most beautiful thing
is getting away from the war and battles.” [ ... ]
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