First bookstore in Old Mosul reopened

Daud Salim the owner of Al Sham Bookstore has reopened his shop in al Najafi street. Daud is well known by researchers and intellectuals in Mosul for providing…

Daud Salim the owner of Al Sham Bookstore has reopened his shop in al Najafi street. Daud is well known by researchers and intellectuals in Mosul for providing books in all fields of knowledge. I met with Daud several times in Cairo in 2011 when he was purchasing books for his bookstore, he spent lots of money which was all lost after his shop was destroyed. His bookstore was open during ISIS and we kept secretly buying books from him as ISIS forced all bookstores to sell only religious books. In early 2015 ISIS executed the owner of Al Arabi bookstore in Najafi street for selling (Anti Islam books).

His bookstore was destroyed during the military operation to retake Mosul form ISIS. The rehabilitation of Old Mosul is essential in any efforts to defeat ISIS. Without rebuilding the Old City, they people will lose their cultural identity.

The Mouslis are determined to protect and preserve the heritage of Old Mosul as the city is not just “Stones” as the former governor Akub said and is not for sell as the current one is trying to do. The Old City is where our history was made.