Al-Raqqa’s oldest library empty but shelves and walls

AMINA AL_ALI /AL_RAQQA

During domination of IS to al-Raqqa city, it was exposed to the worst forms of injustice and cultural and religious annihilation. As a result of the issuing of decrees against the city's inhabitants, al-Raqqa people have seen different kinds of atrocities during domination of IS like murder, torture, punishment and other heinous acts against them.

IS mercenaries did not stop killing the people in al-Raqqa city. IS mercenaries caused much destruction, stole all traces of the city's culture that date back thousands of years. When the city was liberated by Syrian Democratic Forces on 20 October last year, life  slowly returned

The Port Saied's Library has been a witness for more than 50 years on the history and civilization of al-Raqqa and the wars in the city, many writers and intellectuals have visited the library.

The library is located on al-Mansour Street and near all-Raqqa archaeological museum. It is small in size but rich in cultural stock. The library is a witness to what al-Raqqa has been through since the past years, and now only its burnt walls and some of the shelves are left.

About Port Saied Library

The library of Port Saied is named due to aggression against Egypt in 1956 by Britain, France and Israel, is the smallest library in the city of al-Raqqa, but it contains the largest cultural repository, where there were thousands of books on the Middle East and international novels. It was a destination for all intellectuals and writers. ,the library has been opened or established in 1957 and was a destination for all intellectuals and writers.

Contents of the library have been burnt

IS mercenaries burned  all the books in the library on the pretext that the books contain disbelieving thought that the angels do not enter the place.

The mercenaries frequented visited the library several times. One day they collected all the books next to the wall of the ancient al-Raqqa Museum. In few minutes, everything turned into ashes, which was taken away by the wind, according to narrated  Ahmad Al-Khabour.

Ahmed Al-Khabour, owner of the Port Said library, his love and passion for reading pushing him to open the library when he was 16 years old. He was not biased to a particular thought since its inception. "They took out the books and placed them at the western wall of the archaeological museum. They set them on fire until they became a mass of ash, Then, they would go to the library and I would go out to the mosque to get rid of their evil. "

The library has only its walls and some of the books kept by its owner Ahmad Al-Khabour in the warehouse behind the library.

The Culture and Art  committee is now working on the restoration of the library and support some books to come back as usual and a destination for everyone who loves to read.

(T/S)

ANHA