Biography of alia muhammad baker still alive
Biography of alia muhammad baker still alive or dead
Biography of alia muhammad baker still alive!
Alia Muhammad Baker
Iraqi librarian (1952–2021)
Alia Muhammad Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alia Muhammad Baker 1952 Iraq |
| Died | 13 August 2021 (age 68–69) Basra, Iraq |
| Years active | 14 years |
Alia Muhammad Baker (Arabic: عالية محمد باقر; also spelled "Baqer" or "Baqir"; 1952 – 13 August 2021) was an Iraqi librarian who was the chief librarian of the Al Basrah Central Library in Basra.
Baker saved an estimated 30,000 books from destruction during the Iraq War, including a biography of Muhammad from around 1300.[1]
Biography
Baker had worked at the library for 14 years.[2] As a child she was told the story of the burning of Baghdad's Nizamiyya library and was horrified.[3]
As war with the US and UK loomed, government officials denied her requests that the books be moved to safety.
When government offices moved into the library and an anti-aircraft gun was placed on the roof, she started to smuggle books out of the library.[1