Gazans Salvage Rare Books from War-Damaged Mosque Library

Gazans Salvage Rare Books from War-Damaged Mosque Library
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Volunteers in Gaza are working to salvage ancient books from a mosque library, which suffered extensive damage during the October 2023 war that devastated parts of the territory. Once home to an estimated 20,000 volumes, the library now contains fewer than 3,000 to 4,000 books after fire, debris, and structural damage destroyed much of the collection.

The mosque, located in Gaza’s old town, was heavily damaged during airstrikes, with the western part of the library burned. Volunteers from the Eyes on Heritage Volunteer Foundation have been carefully cleaning and cataloguing surviving manuscripts, which cover Islamic law, medicine, literature, and other subjects.

The library is considered Palestine’s third largest, after the Al-Aqsa Mosque library and the Ahmed Pasha al-Jazzar library, and holds manuscripts dating back centuries.

Gaza’s cultural heritage has suffered widespread destruction, with UNESCO verifying damage to 150 sites, including 14 religious and 115 historical or artistic buildings. Volunteers emphasize that restoring the library is vital for preserving Gaza’s history and documenting the city’s rich cultural legacy.