It was burned, bombed and looted by ISIS, but Mosul’s Central Library is once again open to the public and standing as a testament to Iraq’s history as well as its resiliency.
The library was re-opened on Feb. 19, 2022, and originally founded in 1921. It became one of the greatest stores of knowledge in Iraq and the second largest library in the country.
It housed cultural artifacts, ancient manuscripts and thousands of books, but when ISIS took control of Mosul most everything in the library was destroyed. This included literature dating back to the Ottoman Empire and statues dating back to 9th century BCE.
In 2015 when the library was ransacked, then UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said it was “one of the most devastating acts of destruction of library collections in human history.”
But today, the library is back with support and donations from countries around the world. According to the Central Library website, “The word ‘impossible’ does not exist in our dictionary” is written along the library’s entrance, and the library itself is a symbol of triumph over terrorism.
It reportedly houses over 30,000 books, a theater with seating for over 1,000 students, computer equipment and historical documents similar to those previously lost during ISIS’ destruction.
