Bullet bombs with a secret underground library in Syria

In a siege during the years of war smoke and hungry people roaming the streets, you might think that people are no longer interested in books. But the reality is different.

In Syria, where the civil war was torn, there existed somewhere a proper library lying underground with books rescued from ruined buildings due to being bombed, only brave people risking his way through the flying bullets flying to the top to reach this "secret underground library" .

Step down the steep stairs, you will find a spacious room in the dim light. Deep beneath a crumbling building in the suburb of Darayya in Damascus City is the small repository of human knowledge.

Inside the ruined Darayya still exists a secret library beneath a ruined building because of bombs.

Anas Ahmad , an alumnus of the Department of Public Works and one of the founding members of the secret library, said : "We are aware of the need to create a library so we can continue working. We built a library in the basement to prevent it from being destroyed by bombs like many buildings here. "

Nearly four years ago, the suburbs were in control of the military loyal to the government as well as gunmen supporting President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, Anas Ahmad and a number of other volunteers, many of whom had to drop out of school due to the civil war broke out - attempted to gather more than 14,000 books of all fields. Also during the construction of the underground library, more than 2,000 people were killed.

But the horrors of the war still did not detract from Anas with his group of friends, who constantly wandered the streets, gathering precious books to fill bookshelves in the secret library.

Anas Ahmad continued: " Many times we find books from inside houses destroyed by bombs. Most of these houses are located close to where fighting is fierce so our work is extremely dangerous. We had to try to squeeze between ruined buildings to avoid snipers somewhere like ghosts, we had to be very careful because snipers might be watching and predict our next appearance to release bullets ".

A girl reads a book borrowed from her secret library for her mother to hear.

Those who dare to risk their lives like Anas Ahmad collect books for an underground library thinking that the library will help the community in some way.

Volunteers work at the hospital using books in Anas Ahmad's library to find ways to treat patients; or teachers who haven't gone to school to read books to open charity classes; Dentists find books to improve professional knowledge. About 8,000 people in 80,000 people of Darayya town have fled the war.

But now no one has the opportunity to leave Darayya because since the temporary ceasefire was violated in May 2016, the bombs continued to pour down like rain every day. Even journalists could not enter Darayya so they could only interview Anas Ahmad and his friends via Skype mobile application.

The secret location of the undisclosed library was feared by Anas and the other members to become the target of rebel attacks in Darayya if they found out. Those who want to learn only know that the library is in an extremely dangerous area.

A small girl named Islam said she only dared to hang around the house playing games all the time to forget the hunger of her stomach and read books from secret libraries sent by friends. Islam had no idea what led to the bloody war going on around her: "All I know is that the gun is exploding. I think why they bomb this place. Sometimes I I heard someone died and I wondered why that person died and he did something wrong.

There was a 14-year-old named Amjad who came to the library every day because he had a house nearby. Amjad felt that the library was safer than the ground above, so he kept wandering around all day and became a "library assistant".

In a conversation with reporters via Skype application, Anas Ahmad said most of the group's most popular books are the work of famous Arab writers - like poet and playwright Ahmed Shawqi ( famous as King of Poetry) or al-Tanawi, Syrian author records insurgencies in the Arab world. In addition, there are also books by Arab authors known to Westerners.

Abdulbaset Alahmar, an alumnus of his twenties, said: "The library helps to find life. Books and bodies need food. Souls need books. I have read many writers' works. But I like Hamlet the best, Shakespeare's style is very beautiful, Van Hao describes the details so vividly that I feel like I am sitting in the cinema watching the film take place right in front of me. a suburb was besieged for nearly four years and received only two vehicles carrying aid goods, how could the group that formed the secret library not take the time to look for food but also worry about the books book?".

Anas Ahmad.

Alahmar answered frankly: "I believe the brain is like a muscular system. Reading also makes the brain stronger. The enlightened brain also feeds my soul. The library gives me a chance to meet. others are more mature than me, we can discuss all issues together and learn a lot from which I can say, just like the body needs food, the soul needs books " .

No one would suspect that the warriors of the Syrian Liberation Army (FSA) accepting responsibility to protect Darayya are the regular readers of the secret library. Omar Abu Anas, alumnus who is now a warrior protecting Darayya, said: "The truth is, the library occupies a special place in the hearts of all of us. Every time we hear the artillery fire near the library is We pray for it. Books that help us fight. "

Every time he went to the front, Omar brought with him some books. At the front, Omar was holding a book in one hand and a gun in the other. Omar said: "In the middle of the battle, I had something called a miniature library. I sat reading books for six to seven hours between the fronts."

Many of Omar's teammates also have "miniature libraries" just like him. Omar revealed, at every 50-meter defensive point there was a book borrowed from Anas Ahmad's library. "Whenever I finished reading a book, I fumbled to another defensive point to exchange another book for further reading."