Iraq: Mosul's restored Central Library opens its doors after IS occupation

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The Central Library at the University of Mosul reopened its doors on Saturday, following an inauguration ceremony led by political figures after an eight-year enforced closure.

Founded in 1921, the library was one of the richest in Iraq, housing close to one million resources ranging from maps to old manuscripts. The building fell in despair when it was closed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) in 2014, reportedly being used as a base, falling target to Combined Joint Task Force airstrikes in 2016.

“The Central Library at the University of Mosul was exposed to the most heinous crime in modern history when terrorist gangs of ISIS burned more than a million rare books and manuscripts inside the walls of the Central Library. It was also subjected to direct airstrikes by warplanes during the liberation war, causing a destruction rate of approximately 80 percent,” explained Osama Hamdoun, Reconstruction Officer at the University of Mosul.

Refurbished by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the restored structure consists of four floors housing new and old sources, with a digital collection.

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SOT, Osama Hamdoun, Reconstruction Officer at the University of Mosul (Arabic): “The Central Library at the University of Mosul was exposed to the most heinous crime in modern history when terrorist gangs of ISIS burned more than a million rare books and manuscripts inside the walls of the Central Library. It was also subjected to direct airstrikes by warplanes during the liberation war, causing a destruction rate of approximately 80 percent. With the funding of the UNDP, the central library was reconstructed while preserving the external architectural form that was engraved in the minds and hearts of everyone who passed by the University of Mosul. The cost of reconstructing the library amounted to approximately three million three and hundred thousand dollars, and it took one year to be completed.”

SOT, Seif al-Ashkar, Undersecretary of the Central Library at the University of Mosul (Arabic): “Now the Central Library provides its services to everyone. The Central Library has lost nearly a million sources. Now there are approximately forty thousand sources on its shelves. We have a strategic plan for the return of the lost sources, with a variety of new and old sources, whether paper or electronic, as well as in a contemporary way that contributes to community service.”

SOT, Duaa al-Mahdi, student (Arabic): “We, as students, are very happy with the return of the Central Library, because Mosul University is an ancient university and one of the largest universities in Iraq, and also because, you know, the library is of great importance to students who are doing research.”

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