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Podcast: Witness History
Episode: Syria's secret library
Description: A group of young men in the besieged town of Darayya came together to build a secret library during the Syrian civil war, which started in 2011 and ended in 2024.
Braving snipers and bombardment, they rescued thousands of books from bombed-out buildings to rehouse.
The library was a symbol of hope for a community fractured by war.
Surya Elango speaks to Malik Alrifaii, a young volunteer who helped run the library.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have...