A recently published United Nations review of satellite evidence of the damage to Aleppo’s cultural heritage buildings during the conflict with ISIS confirms (pp. 59-65) that the library of the Great Mosque, the al-Waqfiyya Library, was destroyed. As part of a comprehensive restoration of the Mosque, whose buildings largely date from the thirteenth century, the library had been installed in 2005 on the site of a former underground parking lot located under its northern garden (photograph p. 64).

The report (pp.72-75) also confirmed the destruction of the Al-Khusrawiyya complex of sixteenth century buildings sited in front of the Citadel’s gate in which a library and study rooms had been installed during the twentieth century.

The fate of these libraries’ collections, and of other libraries in the city is not mentioned.

The full report can be seen at:

http://unosat-sdn.web.cern.ch/unosat-sdn/unesco/syria/aleppo_publication/UNESCO_UNITAR-UNOSAT_2017_Publication_Full.pdf

Professor Ian Johnson

Aberdeen

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