In the heart of Basra, Iraq, the Central Library was once a vibrant hub for the city's intellectuals and book lovers. For fourteen years, it served as a cherished meeting place where people gathered to discuss world affairs and share knowledge.‌‌ Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian, was its guardian.‌‌百科
As the threat of war loomed in early 2003, Alia grew deeply worried that the impending conflict would destroy the library's precious collection.‌‌ To her, these books—spanning every language and containing everything from new publications to a seven-hundred-year-old history of Iraq—were more valuable than mountains of gold.‌‌ Fearing their loss, she sought official permission to relocate the books to safety but was refused.‌‌
Undeterred, Alia took matters into her own hands. Secretly, she began filling her car with books after work each night, transporting them to her home.‌‌ When war finally broke out, her friends and neighbors rallied to her cause.‌‌ A restaurateur named Anis agreed to use his establishment as a hiding place.‌‌ Under cover of darkness, Alia, Anis, his brothers, and neighbors formed a human chain. They passed books from the library over a seven-foot wall and concealed them in the restaurant.‌‌ This covert operation continued for nights.
Their timing proved providential. Nine days after the war began, a fire consumed the library, burning it to the ground.‌‌ However, thanks to Alia's determination, approximately seventy percent of the collection—around 30,000 volumes—had already been saved.‌‌
The danger persisted even after the initial bombing ceased. Knowing the books remained vulnerable, Alia arranged for a truck once the city fell quiet. She moved the entire hidden collection to the homes of friends in the suburbs for safekeeping.‌‌ There, she waited for the conflict to end, dreaming of peace and the rebuilding of her library.‌‌
Alia Baker's story, later celebrated in the picture book The Librarian of Basra and the graphic novel Alia's Mission, transcends a mere wartime anecdote.‌‌ It is a powerful testament to the courage of individuals, the resilience of culture, and the universal belief that books—as repositories of history, knowledge, and human spirit—are treasures worth risking everything to protect. |