The woman who saved the Basra library - a true story from Iraq

Aliya Mohammed Baqir was the head librarian of the central library in Basra, Iraq. For nine and fourteen years, her library remained a meeting place for book lovers. But then war broke out, and Aliya feared the institution would be destroyed and its precious heritage lost. This true story tells of a courageous woman who resolved to reduce three thousand books from the trash. It reminds us that the love of literature and knowledge knows no bounds. Aliya Mohammed Baqir was the head librarian of the Basra Central Library in Iraq. For fourteen years, her library remained a meeting place for book lovers. But then war broke out, and Aliya feared the library would be destroyed and the city would lose its precious cultural heritage. This true story is about the courage of a woman determined to save thirty thousand books from inevitable disaster. It reminds us that the love of literature and respect for knowledge know no bounds.