Facing Islamic Threat, Iraq Digitalizes its National Library

Facing Islamic State threat, Iraq digitizes national library

The Associated Press - By By VIVIAN SALAMA - Associated Press

1 hour ago

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  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a man reads a book at the Baghdad National Library, established by the British in 1920 on donations, in Iraq. At the start of the 2003 U.S.-led occupation, when chaos gripped the capital, arsonists set fire to the library, destroying 25 percent of its books and some 60 percent of its archives, including priceless Ottoman records. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  1 of 10
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  This Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo shows books and documents restored and shelved at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  2 of 10
• 
  This Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo shows restored books and documents at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  3 of 10
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  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, Jamal Abdel-Majeed Abdulkareem, acting director of Baghdad libraries and archives, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. The Islamic State militants "want history to reflect their own views instead of the way it actually happened," Abdulkareem said. "So when an area is liberated, we send them books to replenish whatever was stolen or destroyed, but also, so that Iraqis in this area have access to these materials so they can always feel proud of their rich history." (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  4 of 10
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  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a library staffer works at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  5 of 10
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  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, members of the library restoration staff work on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  6 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  7 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, damaged books and documents await restoration at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Some manuscripts are torn from overuse and aging. Some others were completely fossilized over time, the combined result of moisture and scorching temperatures, looking instead like large rocks dug up from the earth. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  8 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. In specialized darkrooms in the library's back offices, employees use specialized lighting to photograph some of the most-precious manuscripts. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  9 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  10 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a man reads a book at the Baghdad National Library, established by the British in 1920 on donations, in Iraq. At the start of the 2003 U.S.-led occupation, when chaos gripped the capital, arsonists set fire to the library, destroying 25 percent of its books and some 60 percent of its archives, including priceless Ottoman records. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  1 of 10
• 
  This Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo shows books and documents restored and shelved at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  2 of 10
• 
  This Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo shows restored books and documents at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  3 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, Jamal Abdel-Majeed Abdulkareem, acting director of Baghdad libraries and archives, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. The Islamic State militants "want history to reflect their own views instead of the way it actually happened," Abdulkareem said. "So when an area is liberated, we send them books to replenish whatever was stolen or destroyed, but also, so that Iraqis in this area have access to these materials so they can always feel proud of their rich history." (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  4 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a library staffer works at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  5 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, members of the library restoration staff work on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  6 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  7 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, damaged books and documents await restoration at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Some manuscripts are torn from overuse and aging. Some others were completely fossilized over time, the combined result of moisture and scorching temperatures, looking instead like large rocks dug up from the earth. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  8 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. In specialized darkrooms in the library's back offices, employees use specialized lighting to photograph some of the most-precious manuscripts. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  9 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  10 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a man reads a book at the Baghdad National Library, established by the British in 1920 on donations, in Iraq. At the start of the 2003 U.S.-led occupation, when chaos gripped the capital, arsonists set fire to the library, destroying 25 percent of its books and some 60 percent of its archives, including priceless Ottoman records. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  1 of 10
• 
  This Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo shows books and documents restored and shelved at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  2 of 10
• 
  This Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo shows restored books and documents at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  3 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, Jamal Abdel-Majeed Abdulkareem, acting director of Baghdad libraries and archives, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. The Islamic State militants "want history to reflect their own views instead of the way it actually happened," Abdulkareem said. "So when an area is liberated, we send them books to replenish whatever was stolen or destroyed, but also, so that Iraqis in this area have access to these materials so they can always feel proud of their rich history." (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  4 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a library staffer works at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  5 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, members of the library restoration staff work on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  6 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Librarians and academics in Baghdad are working to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  7 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, damaged books and documents await restoration at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. Some manuscripts are torn from overuse and aging. Some others were completely fossilized over time, the combined result of moisture and scorching temperatures, looking instead like large rocks dug up from the earth. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  8 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. In specialized darkrooms in the library's back offices, employees use specialized lighting to photograph some of the most-precious manuscripts. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

  9 of 10
• 
  In this Tuesday, July 28, 2015 photo, a member of the library restoration staff works on a damaged document at the Baghdad National Library in Iraq. As the Islamic State militants now set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

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BAGHDAD (AP) — The dimly-lit, dust-caked stacks of the Baghdad National Library hide a treasure of the ages: crinkled, yellowing papers holding the true stories of sultans and kings; imperialists and socialists; occupation and liberation; war and peace.

These are the original chronicles of Iraq's rich and tumultuous history — and now librarians and academics in Baghdad are working feverishly to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion.

Now, as Islamic State militants set out to destroy Iraq's history and culture, including irreplaceable books and manuscripts kept in the militant-held city of Mosul, a major preservation and digitization project is underway in the capital to safeguard a millennia worth of history.

In darkrooms in the library's back offices, employees use specialized lighting to photograph some of the most-precious manuscripts. Mazin Ibrahim Ismail, the head of the microfilm department, said they're testing the process with documents from the Interior Ministry under Iraq's last monarch, Faisal II, who ruled from 1939 to 1958.

"Once restoration for some of the older documents from the Ottoman era, 200 to 250 years ago, is completed, we will begin to photograph those onto microfilm," Ismail said. He said the digital archives, which will not be made available immediately to the public, is more to ensure their content survive any future threat.

The restoration process is nothing short of microsurgery, and the type damage to each document is a story — and a puzzle — on its own. Some manuscripts are torn from overuse and aging; others are burned or stained from attack or sabotage. And then there are some that were completely fossilized over time — the combined result of moisture and scorching temperatures — looking instead like large rocks dug up from the earth.

2015 The Associated Press

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