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Ten years ago this week, British forces entered Iraq\u2019s second city, Basra, as part of the U.S.-led invasion of the country. No one remembers that decisive event more so than librarian Alia Baqer. <\/p>\n
Ten years ago this week, British forces entered Iraq\u2019s second city, Basra, as part of the U.S.-led invasion of the country.
No one remembers that decisive event more so than librarian Alia Baqer. <\/p>\n
Known locally as a cultural hero, Baqer moved to rescue the contents of Basra\u2019s central library before everything was lost. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt the beginning of the war on Iraq, the governor [of Basra] took the library over as a headquarters for himself and his guards, mounting machine guns on top of the building. So, we asked the governor if we could take the important books to our homes, but he rejected the idea. Eventually we took the responsibility ourselves to transfer the books, without the governor\u2019s approval,\u201d she said, looking back ten years. <\/p>\n
As U.S.-led forces took over the country, security broke down and looting spread. <\/p>\n
Baqer and her staff moved fast to carry the most precious books to safety, transporting them in curtains to the Hammdan restaurant next door. <\/p>\n
\u201cAbout ten days after the troops entered [Basra], the library was completely burnt down. We carried about 30,000 books to the restaurant and to our homes. Then, we transferred them from the restaurant to our homes in my own car and in cars belonging to the employees. Most of these books and manuscripts were rare and important ones. Regrettably, we lost a lot of books in the fire,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Despite the heroic efforts of library staff, more than 50,000 books were burnt when the building was set on fire. <\/p>\n
But Baqer explained how she managed to keep the rescued books stored in her home. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn one room of the house, two rooms, I put the heaps of books. I also kept some of the books in an old refrigerator that I had,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Baqer has already been the subject of two books herself: \u2018Librarian of Basra\u2019 by American author Jeanette Winter, and \u2018Alia\u2019s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq\u2019 by American cartoonist and children\u2019s book writer, Mark Alan Stamaty. <\/p>\n
The library has also seen a turnaround in its fortunes and is once again a thriving cultural hub. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe library opened on October 10, 2004, after it had been renovated. The building was completely renovated and supplied with the equipment that the library needed. We brought the books back from our homes, and life has returned to the library. <\/p>\n
A lot of gifts and grants from many countries were presented to the library, including the American library association and the British consulate. We received books for children and we established a library for children. Furniture and books for children were donated by European associations,\u201d said Baqer. <\/p>\n
Although Baqer says the library is still short of books and equipment, Basra\u2019s youngsters and future generations will all be able to enjoy a key local facility, thanks to the dedication of one librarian and her staff. <\/p>\n
Source: Alarabiya<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ten years ago this week, British forces entered Iraq\u2019s second city, Basra, as part of the U.S.-led invasion of the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-c54-reports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n