A car bomb went off in the Mutanabi Book Market in the historic booksellers’ district in Baghdad. The market named after an Iraqi poet who lived in the 10th century was once the gathering place of the city’s intellectuals.
The explosion killed more than 20 people and injured at least 65. There are no estimates as to how many books were destroyed or damaged.
The ongoing madness in Iraq has already severely impacted the city’s library system. All you need to do is read the journal of the Saad Eskander, the head of the National Archives in Iraq who reports on the insanity on the British Library’s website, to understand the depth of these tragic times.
New York Times article on the explosion
Article on Selling Books in Baghdad by Patrick Cockburn
Article from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from late 2002. “Baghdad street market starving for new books”
Image via BBC